The Millenium Development Goals, agreed to by every member country of the United Nations in 2000, call for the worldwide eradication of poverty and hunger, universal education, gender equality and huge improvements in health by 2015: two years ago!!
Can we do this without making the planet warmer?
Let's think big and imagine how we can confront the climate crisis in a way that is realistic about the other major problems that we face as a planet and as a species on it.
Clean Development >
Population Growth: A Catalyst For Environmental Distress
Population growth is a major problem for the environment, and one that continues to grow. For most of human history our population size was relatively stable, until globalization during the 1950s, when innovation and industrialization, energy, food, water, medical care, and other resources became more available and reliable, causing a surplus. Consequently, the global human population rapidly increased, and continues to do so, with dramatic impacts on global climate and ecosystems. The world population is growing rapidly, far outpacing the ability of our planet to support it. Overpopulation is associated with negative environmental and economic outcomes ranging from the impacts of over-farming, deforestation, and water pollution to global warming. As the population grows and the demand for resources to support it grows as well, negative environmental impacts from production and burning fossil fuels increase enormously, contributing to individual carbon footprints as well as global emissions. This is a very big problem, but not one with a simple solution, so we need to look at ways to decrease carbon emissions but still support the growing population.