Issues Concerning Global Sustainability
Current Issues Affecting Global Sustainability
A healthy global ecosystem and ecosystem services are essential for our future. However, the sustainability of the global environment is currently under threat.
Climate change is a case in point. Atmospheric temperatures are rising due to increasing CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases, and atmospheric circulation over the entire planet is shifting. These factors are affecting the climate, bringing about abnormal weather patterns and other phenomena. They, in turn, affect the lives of plants and animals, the livelihoods of people, and the growth of crops.
Nature's gifts, beginning with its living resources, are the outgrowth of biodiversity, a vital process that encompasses all life on Earth. Yet, the myriad connections of biodiversity are being disrupted by human activities, such as over-fishing and environmental pollution.
Water is essential for sustaining life. While vast oceans cover the earth with seawater, fresh water sources are meager by comparison. In fact, the amount of fresh water directly accessible to humankind is no more than 0.01% of all the planet's water. As the population grows, so will demand for fresh water, raising the highly probable scenario of increasingly severe water shortages in the future.
Facts about climate change
- Global mean surface temperatures increased 0.74℃ from 1906 to 2005, and are projected to increase between 1.8℃ and 4.0℃ between 2000 to 2100.
- The frequency of extreme temperatures, heat waves, and heavy rains is increasing.
- Land and marine environments are changing dramatically, raising the risk of extinction of plant and animal species.
- Grain production will fall in low-latitude regions if temperatures rise between 1℃ and 2℃.
Facts about biodiversity
- The expansion of human activities is shrinking plant and animal habitats and causing sudden changes in their environment.
- About 12% of birds, 25% of mammals, and 32% of amphibians are expected to become extinct in the next century.
- More than 60% of the earth's ecosystem services is expected to degrade, encompassing the purification of water essential for people's livelihoods and the regulation of air quality.
Facts about water resources
- Only 0.01% of the earth's total amount of water is available to humankind as fresh water.
- About 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water resources required for their livelihoods.
- The global demand for water is predicted to increase 40% above the current accessible and reliable supply by 2030.
- About 70% of the world's water supply is used for agricultural irrigation.
- Almost 80% of all marine pollution originates from agriculture and inland development.
