The report, which is released every two years shows how our ever-growing demand for resources is putting huge pressure on our planet and threatening our future. It’s found that people are now consuming 50 per cent more natural resources than our planet can sustainably produce and estimates that by 2050 we may need the resources of three planets.

Speaking about the report from space, André said: “It’s a vital reminder that our world’s resources are limited and we need to find ways to live sustainably. We only have one Earth. From up here I can see humanity’s footprint, including forest fires, air pollution and erosion – challenges which are reflected in this edition of the Living Planet Report.”

Watch Andre launching the report from space….

WWF’s Living Planet Report 2012 has been released ahead of the Rio+20 Summit (UN Conference on Sustainable Development), taking place in Brazil this June. At the last Rio Earth Summit in 1992, world leaders came together to help tackle climate change and address falling biodiversity levels. Twenty years on, Rio+20 is an opportunity for global leaders to renew their commitment to creating a sustainable future.

In the lead-up to this milestone event WWF is asking people to share why the natural world matters to them. So take a moment to share your best experience of nature and let us know what you love about our brilliant planet at www.earthbook2012.org

To find out more about the Living Planet Report just visit www.wwf.org.uk/lpr2012

Brazil’s parliament has just passed legislation that will strip the Amazon and other important regions of critical environmental protections. The future of Brazil’s forests now lies in the hands of President Dilma Rousseff who has just days to veto changes to the country’s long-standing Forest Code. We need your help right now to stop the law being approved in the next few weeks. Please encourage President Dilma to stand by her election promises and veto any law that legitimizes deforestation.

What you can do right now

Use one of our suggested posts or write your own message to show how you feel. Just make sure to tag the PartidodosTrabalhadores Facebook page or tweet @ptbrasil using #SOSBrazil

Facebook

Dear President Dilma Rousseff and your party PartidodosTrabalhadores, please save the rainforest and protect our climate. Veto the new Forest Code! http://bit.ly/sosbrazil

Dear President Dilma Rousseff and your party PartidodosTrabalhadores, your credibility is like the forest: once it’s gone it’s gone! Stand by your election promises and veto the new Forest Code! http://bit.ly/sosbrazil

Dear President Dilma Rousseff and your party PartidodosTrabalhadores, don’t undo years of success in tackling Brazilian deforestation. Veto the new Forest Code! http://bit.ly/sosbrazil

Twitter

President Dilma of @ptbrasil, please save the rainforest & our climate. Veto the new Forest Code! #SOSBrazil http://bit.ly/sosbrazil Pls RT

President Dilma of @ptbrasil, please veto changes to the Forest Code. Create a sustainable future! #SOSBrazil http://bit.ly/sosbrazil Pls RT

President Dilma of @ptbrasil, don’t undo decades of work to protect forests. Veto the new Forest Code! #SOSBrazil http://bit.ly/sosbrazil Pls RT

What’s this all about?

Brazil’s Forest Code is one of the most impressive laws on forest protection in the world. And it’s central to Brazil’s recent success in reducing deforestation in places like the Amazon. But for years, it’s been under pressure from agribusiness interests who see the restrictions on deforestation as a barrier to agricultural development.

After heavy lobbying by agribusiness – and going against public opinion, scientific evidence and legal advice – Brazil’s Parliament has finally succeeded in passing controversial changes to the Forest Code. If they go ahead, it could affect up to 76 million hectares of forest – that’s an area the size of Germany, Italy and Austria combined.

Destroying or not restoring this much forest would release the equivalent of 28 billion tonnes of CO2*. That’s around four times the target for global greenhouse gas emissions cuts laid out by the Kyoto Protocol for 2008-12.

Polls show that as many as 80% of Brazilian people oppose the changes to the Forest Code. Thousands have taken to the streets in protest, and millions of people around the globe have supported them by e-mailing President Rousseff or sharing the story on Facebook and Twitter. Together, we managed to delay this vote three times.

Now we need your help to make sure the changes never come into force.

 Why Brazil must protect the Forest Code

Brazil has built a well-earned reputation for tackling deforestation and protecting the environment. With the country about to host this summer’s UN Conference on Sustainable Development (aka Rio+20), the Brazilian government risks enormous damage to its international status on biodiversity and climate protection.

Brazil has committed itself to reducing deforestation by 80% in the Amazon and by 40% in Cerrado (tropical savannah) and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 39% by 2020. Those commitments will be impossible to meet if the proposed bill becomes law.

The changes to the Forest Code would have severe environmental, social and economic consequences – from huge increases in deforestation, risks of flooding and loss of sensitive ecosystems and habitats to billions of tonnes of additional greenhouse gas emissions, undermining efforts to keep global warming below 2°C.

* Figures from a 2011 study by Brazil’s government-led research organisation IPEA (Institute of Applied Economic Research)

On a day when Foreign Secretary William Hague and Energy Minister Greg Barker and both showed leadership on the need to tackle climate change through investment in clean energy sources, David Cameron remained conspicuously absent from the debate.

Six years ago, almost to the day, WWF took David Cameron on a trip to Svalbard in the Arctic. The trip, which included a visit to the Scott Turner glacier, was to be a turning point for Cameron and the Conservative party.

Pictures of him hugging a husky appeared in most British newspapers and the electorate saw it as a symbolic moment in the ‘detoxification’ of the party’s brand. The message was clear: the Conservatives had changed; they were no longer the ‘nasty party’, and a deep commitment to tackling environmental problems was part of the package.

Back home, David Cameron also debunked the idea that environmentalism was a luxury that can be disposed of when the economic going gets tough, boldly stating that, “the truth is: it’s not that we can’t afford to go green – it’s that we can’t afford not to go green.”

Now fast forward six years; David Cameron has been in Downing Street for nearly two years and the news that he was to deliver his first major speech on the environment as prime minister, at the third Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) in London this week, had had the green sector buzzing with speculation.

But then, the rumours started circulating on Monday night that plans for a speech by Cameron had been scrapped, or at best ‘downgraded’ to a simple Q&A with ministers attending the CEM.

The news prompted howls of dismay from both environmentalists and those businesses investing in renewables and the green economy alike. The CEM throws a spotlight on the government’s record on tackling climate change and promoting renewable energy in the UK – a record that worries me.

At a time when we are seeing increasing disarray in the government’s climate and energy policies on both domestic and European policy areas, it seems clear that the prime minister is struggling to co-ordinate his ministers, party and MEPs on these issues.

The mere fact that he hasn’t made any major speech on the environment yet, and has largely refrained from intervening in what is becoming an increasingly negative debate among members of the cabinet and his back benches, has inevitably led many to question David Cameron’s personal commitment to lead the “greenest government ever.”

On clean renewable sources specifically, some parts of the government have given out mixed messages, with the result that investor confidence has been seriously weakened. This is in stark contrast to other countries, such as Denmark and Germany, where a strong policy framework and consistent political signals have encouraged inward investment and hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Investor confidence has, for example, been hit by the bungled move to reduce solar feed-in tariffs (FiTs); whilst we agree that tariffs should fall in line with technology cost reductions, the short-notice cuts to solar FiTs hit businesses hard and resulted in a judicial review that the Government lost.

Elsewhere, a letter to the prime minister from over one hundred, almost exclusively Conservative, backbenchers attacking wind power, and recent comments by DECC minister Greg Barker reported as suggesting that Britain does not need more onshore wind farms, have also hit business confidence hard.

The government also recently announced that a planned Emissions Performance Standard (EPS) designed to address emissions from the power sector would not apply to new gas-fired stations until 2045. This would be a remarkable ‘free pass’ for the gas sector – especially given the fact that the UK’s reliance on expensive imported gas is the main reason for soaring energy bills.

The fossil fuel sector has, in contrast, received numerous boosts. In the recent Budget, the Chancellor George Osborne granted up to 75% tax relief for decommissioning oil rigs in the North Sea and new allowances including a £3 billion new oil field allowance for “large and deep fields” to be opened up west of Shetland – despite the clear risks to the environment.

In short, the coalition government has effectively boosted subsidies for oil, gas and nuclear energy while the prime minister’s backbench MPs complain vigorously about subsidies for renewables.

This week, the prime minister had a major opportunity to redress the impression that he has gone soft on the environment, to stop the perceived ‘re-toxification’ of the Conservative party and counter the negative rhetoric coming from opponents in his own party.

Six years ago, on his return from the Arctic, he seemed engaged, determined and clear about the need to tackle environmental problems. What has happened to that engagement, determination and clarity of vision? We are left asking, above all, “where is the prime minister on the environment?”

This article was originally published on Huffington Post.

Mexico- the world’s 11th biggest economy, and also 11th biggest greenhouse gas emitter – has taken a really important step in the fight against climate change.

Mexico is introducing an important new law to tackle climate change. Its House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly in favour of legislation that will require the whole country to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2050. Once it’s approved by the Senate, Mexico will be only the second country in the world, after the UK, to pass climate change legislation.

The government’s new law will involve phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, making renewable power fully competitive with oil, gas and coal, and ensuring that 35% of Mexico’s electricity will come from clean sources by 2024.

There will also be a strong focus on equity, conserving Mexico’s environment, and making sure there’s broad citizen participation.

Vanessa Perez-Cirera (WWF-Mexico Climate Program Director) announces the new law.

As our own climate change team leader Keith Allott says: “This is great news. And it’s all the more significant because Mexico is set to become one of the world’s biggest economies – projected to be the fifth largest in the world.by 2050. But with around 40% of its people still living in poverty, Mexico’s government can see that ending poverty and growing the economy will be that much harder unless they cut greenhouse gas emissions and embrace renewable energy.

This news also shows once again the global significance of the UK and Scottish Climate Change Acts – we’ve taken a bold lead that other countries are now following.

David Cameron now needs to ensure that the UK act is implemented vigorously, and in the UK we embrace the huge potential to save energy and develop new, clean renewable energy sources.”

We’re waiting with interest for the upcoming Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM3) event, which will take place in London on 25-26 April 2012 where David Cameron will make his first speech on the environment since being in Government.

Find out more about how and why we’re supporting renewable energy.

What would the Panda Make You Do? We want to collect, share and celebrate things that people are doing for our planet. Share your ideas and be in the running to win one of ten The Panda Made Me Do It T-shirts? Simply tell us what you’ll be doing, here.

Tom Aikens, © Ash Knotek / WWF-UK

We had some amazing support from the celebrity world with singer KT Tunstall launching Earth Hour. Miranda Kerr encouraging people throughout the world to switch off and on the night we had support from renowned chef, Tom Aikens as well as dance troop Flawless and the Luminites who performed at our London event.

All of these people that have been motivated by the work of WWF (by the Panda) and took action; small and big, to help protect the natural world! People who understand that WWF’s Earth Hour is about so much more than just an hour; it’s a reminder to us all that we need to look after our planet. Take a look at what the Panda is making people from our team do beyond the hour.

Here you can find inspiration from others and suggestions of things you can do with WWF to play your own part. Remember, you could win one of ten The Panda Made Me Do It T-shirts. Simply tell us what you’re going to do beyond the hour, here.

© Ash Knotek/ WWF-UK

With hundreds of millions of people switching off their lights for an hour – and so many making remarkable promises for things they’ll do ‘beyond the hour’ – Earth Hour 2012 has successfully focused attention on our brilliant planet, and how we need to protect it. Not just for an hour a year, but every day.

WWF’s Earth Hour is only five years old, but we’re thrilled that it’s already become such an important and unmissable annual fixture for so many people.

An astonishing new record of 152 countries and 6,895 towns and cities across the world took part this year. People, businesses, and organisations across the UK have been doing spectacular things, check out our map to see what’s been happening near you.

(It’s not too late to sign up to confirm your support for Earth Hour, by the way.)

Take a look at just a few of the big highlights of this year’s Earth Hour…

• From Time Square to the Sydney Opera House, Brunei to Lithuania, the tallest building on the planet to an Inuit igloo, thousands of icons and landmarks worldwide switched off their lights for an hour.
• Earth Hour was even extended into space for the first time, with astronaut and WWF ambassador André Kuipers blogging, tweeting and posting flickr images from the International Space Station before, during and after Earth Hour. Find out more about André’s involvement from the European Space Agency website.
• In the UK, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Wembley Stadium, Clifton Suspension Bridge, Edinburgh Castle and HMS Victory in Portsmouth, ‘the Senedd (Welsh Assembly Building)’ were just a few of the landmarks that took part. See what happened in your community.

(c) Ash Knotek/ WWF-UK

• In London, a human powered dance floor lit up the UK’s flagship Earth Hour event at Somerset House. Street dance troupe Flawless, stars of Britain’s Got Talent and new film StreetDance 2 counted down to switch off and performed a twilight routine. As local landmarks including the National Theatre, South Bank Centre and Waterloo Bridge went dark, street band the Luminites performed to Earth Hour supporters whilst WWF ambassador Tom Aitkens and his staff served sustainable canapés.
• A primary school in Pontypridd in Wales led the UK switch-off as winners of our Community Challenge competition – Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Evan James primary school also received a £1,000 grant from our sponsors MORE TH>N. Ysgol Evan James spent the hour doing a candlelit walk.
• Globally, the ‘I Will If You Will’ challenge was launched this Earth Hour, inviting individuals and organisations to challenge others to make an ongoing environmental commitment ‘beyond the hour’. The aim is to inspire people to take actions and make changes that will help achieve an urgently needed sustainable future for our world. Earth Hour ambassador Miranda Kerr filmed a video, as did the president of Fiji and many others. Take a look at some of the challenges at www.youtube.com/earthhour
• WWF’s Earth Hour got huge support and publicity from global and UK press, TV, radio and the online community, including as a leading # topic on Twitter throughout the weekend.

Thank you again – and we really hope you’ll join us again for next year’s Earth Hour in March 2013.

 Hit play to watch a video of the Tokyo Tower switching off in Japan.

WWF’s Earth Hour is making waves on the Australian continent.

Here’s New Zealand people of Tauranga celebrating a brighter future.

New Zealand, Tauranga

New Zealand, kids in Tauranga celebrating our brilliant world

New Zealand, Tauranga, Earth Hour concert

The Auckland skyline went dark when the city tower switched off and many skyscrapers followed.

New Zealand, Auckland

New Zealand, Auckland

WWF-UK setting the stage for #EarthHour

Here in the UK, we’re preparing our own celebration by setting up our energy generating dancefloor.

Stay tuned for updates on this brilliant day!

Samoa, the last country to usually switch off has crossed the International Date Line and this year kicked off WWF’s Earth Hour.

Samoa Airport 8:29 pm

Samoa Airport 8:30 pm

Samoa, unplugged music jam

Samoa Earth Hour Crew celebrating our brilliant world

Samoa, our world is brilliant

This year, a record of 150 countries celebrated Earth Hour, with Libya, Algeria, Bhutan and French Guinea among those participating for the first time. We even made it into space this year, ESA astronaut André Kuipers will be watching from the International Space Station.

See what happened in your local area on our map and see what people had to say about this global phenomenon on Twitter by searching #earthhour.

Rt Hon Edward Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Liberal Democrat), Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, Environment Secretary (Conservative) and Mary Creagh MP, Shadow Environment Secretary (Labour) have all signalled their support.

Edward Davey- Energy and Climate Change Secretary:

“Earth Hour is a great opportunity for people concerned about climate change to come together with one voice. Thanks to campaigns like this we have all become more conscious about our impact on the planet and I am proud to offer my support to this excellent initiative.”

 Caroline Spelman, the Secretary of State for Environment

“Earth Hour has been extremely successful in highlighting the simple action that we can all take to help the environment. The sight of entire cities in near total darkness to mark Earth Hour is an extremely powerful reminder of how strongly people feel about protecting the world they live in. Defra will once again be playing our part by ensuring the lights are off in all our offices, and I encourage all homes and businesses to do the same”.

Mary Creagh, Shadow Environment Secretary commented:

“WWF’s Earth Hour is a great opportunity for people to come together and show they care about the environment. Earth Hour this year comes shortly before key UN talks in Rio, Brazil on environmental and social issues including forestry, fisheries and food security. I encourage everyone to take part in Earth Hour to show solidarity with the poor and future generations and to keep the political spotlight on climate and social justice.”

It is clear that when people come together to show they care about an issue, such as through Earth Hour, that politicians pay attention.

• HRH The Prince of Wales supports Earth Hour — PDF
  

  © WWF

Yet, our actions alone as individuals are not enough as the task of sorting out food sustainability is huge and needs a holistic solution. What we need is for the UK government to lead a new strategy on food – within the UK, and beyond our borders to feed the hungriest and help keep our world brilliant.

And this is how you can help. We need to let the government know that a lot of people want them to take action, so please get involved:

You can:

1) Tweet right now and help our campaign!

2) Learn more…
Read our food story for some startling facts on why the food system needs to change and read a blog from Tom in our Public Affairs team about politics and food.

3) Pass the message on – share on facebook

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