The continual expansion in the use of some renewable resources worldwide has been widely recognized as non sustainable. Now a new study carried out by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Yale University and Michigan State University, confirms that several key resources have recently passed their "peak-rate year", the year of their maximum increase.

The researchers analyzed the production and extraction rates of 27 global renewable and non-renewable resources. Of the 20 renewable resources studied, such as maize, rice, wheat or soya as well as animal products, such as fish, meat, milk and egg, 18 reached their annual growth peak around 2006, a few years ago. Not only much of the resources have already reached their peak, but they did so nearly at the same time.

This underlines that renewable resources are limited and can't be harvested without limit or they will become more and more scarce. Moreover, if they decline together, there will be less options to substitute one scarce resource with another.

Given this scenario, it should be important to start using resources in a wiser way, for example using water and fertilizers more efficiently or growing those kinds of food that need the lowest resource inputs, such as chicken instead of beef when we consider meat production.

For more information please visit the UFZ website