Schwerin (dpa/mv) – On the occasion of the so-called Earth Overshoot Day, the BUND nature conservation association has demanded that the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania change direction in funding policy and increase sustainability. Projects such as the planned Center Parc Pütnitz in the Bodden area near Ribnitz-Damgarten and the clearing of 130 hectares of forest for an industrial park near Grabow (Ludwigslust-Parchim district) are cited as examples of a failed strategy. “These projects funded by the state government with millions are evidence of a resource-wasting and fundamentally wrong economic policy,” criticized BUND state manager Corinna Cwielag on Thursday in Schwerin.
From the so-called Earth Overshoot Day, people use more natural resources in the current year than the earth can produce or renew in this period. According to calculations by the Global Footprint Network based in the USA and Switzerland, this day is being reached earlier every year, on July 28, 2022.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is also helping to keep soil sealed and forests cleared. Groundwater, lakes and watercourses would have to wait in vain for rehabilitation projects. “One billion euros would be needed to protect the groundwater and bodies of water, but the taxpayer’s money goes to major, destructive projects,” complained Cwielag. Persistent drought and falling water levels are unmistakable signs that the planet’s warning lights are glowing dark red. “We have to do something to counteract the climate crisis and the extinction of species,” warned Cwielag.
