Humanity's ecological footprint - measuring the area of biologically productive land and sea required to provide all the resources used and absorb waste - has more than tripled between 1961 and 2003.

Countries with the largest ecological footprint per person are the United Arab Emirates, the U.S., Finland, Canada, Kuwait, Australia, Estonia, Sweden, New Zealand and Norway. China is ranked No. 69, but its size and rapid economic growth make it a key player for the sustainable use of the world's resources.

Another indicator of the strain on natural ecosystems is the decline of about one-third observed in more than 1,300 vertebrate species around the world between 1970 and 2003. The loss of natural habitat to cropland and pasture has been particularly acute in the tropics.

Each year, the day that the global economy starts to operate with an ecological deficit is designated as "ecological debt day", or "overshoot day". This marks the date that Earth's environmental resource flow begins operating on an "environmental overdraft".

This year "overshoot day" was 9 October; this means that for the last quarter of 2006, humanity will be in ecological overshoot, living beyond our environmental means, causing a net depletion of resources, consuming resources beyond the level that the Earth's ecosystems can replace.

Our capitalistic business models do NOT take into account any long-term effects. Those things are assumed to be "infinite". The "cost" of fancy packaging for all kinds of consumber products is accounted for in the price. No one think about the cost of waste and depletion of resources. That's supposed to be government's responsibility.

The payment will finally come due. And who will pay? Thinkaboutit.