Many environmentalists are of the opinion that, if man goes on exploiting the environment the way he does these days, there is going to be what they call ‘ecological overshoot’ (an imbalance between resources being made use of and resources being made available by the Planet) much sooner than later.
• How dangerous is to be facing ecological overshoot?
• How what suggestions can you have so that this environmental threat can be offset?

It is written by Mr. Jacob, one of my students. a 7 plus band write up.

Ecological overshoot is indeed an issue of great concern. It is the need of the hour that we put our heads together to identify a few measures to combat it. This write-up is an attempt to see how dangerous the scene is, and identify a few measures to keep a check on such a scenario. 54

The day humans happen to run out of resources will be a dooms day for sure. It would not be too long that these resources come to an end. A recent study shows that the world’s oil reserves are on the decline faster than ever. And with the stroke of the next century, these reserves would dry up. Obviously, this world would come to a grinding halt. If this is the case just with oil, we can imagine how dangerous it is going to be when other life-saving resources come this state of affairs. 94

However grave the issue looks, a few simple steps can ensure that there is not going to be any 'ecological overshoot'. Using less fuel can go a long way in this respect. This can be achieved by encouraging people to use more of public transport. Besides this, making the masses more aware of this sooner-than-later crisis will keep the world in good stead. Another positive step would be the use of non-conventional sources such as solar, wind, tidal, geothermal etc. Above all, attitude of people towards energy waste also has to be changed. 93

To sum up, 'ecological overshoot' is one of the challenges faced by mankind today. And, if it is not dealt with well, it can have a huge toll on the very existence of humans. But, concerted efforts from all quarters I am sure, can overcome it. It is entirely up to us humans. 53