Earth's vital signs in bad shape'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Earth's vital signs in bad shape'*
From correspondents in Dallas
September 14, 2007 06:34am
Article from: Reuters
MORE wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many
troubling environmental signs highlighted today in the Worldwatch
Institute's annual check of the planet's health.
The Washington-based think tank's Vital Signs 2007-2008 report points to
global patterns ranging from rising meat consumption to Asian economic
growth it said are linked to the broader problem of climate change.
"I think climate change is the most urgent challenge we have ever
faced," said Erik Assadourian, director of the Vital Signs project.
"You see many trends in climate change, whether we are talking about
grain production which is affected by droughts and flooding. Or meat
production as livestock production makes up about 20 per cent of
greenhouse gas emissions," he said before the report's release.
Mr Assadourian said the key message of the report was that unsustainable
consumption patterns were responsible for climate change linked to
carbon emissions and other ecological woes.
He said of the 44 trends tracked by the report, 28 were "pronouncedly
bad" and only six were positive.
The trends range from the spread of avian flu to the rise of carbon
emissions to the number of violent conflicts. The growing use of wind
power is among the few trends seen as positive.
Some of the points highlighted in the report include:
Meat production hit a record 276 million tonnes (43 kilograms per
person) in 2006.
Meat consumption is one of several factors driving rising soybean
demand. Rapid expansion of soybean plantations in South America could
displace 22 million hectares of tropical forest and savanna in the next
20 years.
The rise in global seafood consumption comes as many fish species become
scarcer. In 2004, people ate 156 million tonnes of seafood, the
equivalent of three times as much seafood per person than in 1950.
While US carbon emissions continue to grow, the fastest rise is
occurring in Asia, particularly China and India.
Other analysts and think tanks have focused on different trends they say
mean less cause for alarm. For example, they point out that while wood
is being removed from forests on a global scale, many parts of Europe
and North America have experienced reforestation in recent decades.