The UN independent expert on human rights and the environment on Wednesday called for an urgent and radical shift in how business and the global economy operates to prevent irreversible damage to Earth’s life support system and safeguard human rights.
In a hard-hitting report to the Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteur David Boyd underscored that current business practices, particularly large coporations, pose a severe threat to the planet’s ecological integrity.
Mr. Boyd emphasized the “colossal impacts” on natural resources, which are being consumed six times faster than the planet can sustain.
“Led by the ultrarich, with their private jets, yachts, massive mansions, space travel and hyperconsumptive lifestyles, humanity is exceeding Earth’s carrying capacity,” the report stated in stark language, singling out the ecological footprint of the world’s most developed nations.
“If everyone consumed like the average American, we would need another four Earths to supply the resources and absorb the wastes,” it added.
“We are sabotaging Earth’s life support system, with profound consequences for human rights,” he warned