Meanwhile, industrial companies need to start shifting to new technologies that use fossil fuels and raw materials more efficiently. Wherever possible they should switch to renewable energy sources such, as wind and solar power. They should also redesign such products as refrigerators, automobiles, cement mixes and fertilizers so that they produce lower greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers should look to technologies and methods that reduce the methane emitted by livestock and rice fields. Individual citizens, too, must cut their use of fossil fuels – take public transport more often, switch off the lights in empty rooms and be less wasteful of all natural resources.

The twenty-first century and beyond

n facing up to man-made climate change, human beings are going to have to think in terms of decades and centuries. The job is just beginning. Many of the effects of climate shifts will not be apparent for two or three generations. In the future, everyone may be hearing about – and living with – this problem.

The Framework Convention takes this into account. It establishes institutions to support efforts to carry out long-term commitments and to monitor long-term efforts to mini­mize – and adjust to – climate change. Governments can also strengthen the Convention, as they did in Kyoto in 1997. The Protocol's 5 per cent cut may seem a modest start, but given the rise in emissions that would otherwise be expected – and remember that emissions in a number of developed countries have risen steadily since the 1990 base year – many countries are going to have to make a significant effort to meet their com­mitments. The Kyoto Protocol makes an important promise: to reduce greenhouse gases in developed countries by the end of the first decade of the new century. It should be judged a success if it arrests and reverses the 200-year trend of rising emissions in the industri­alized world and hastens the transition to a climate-friendly global economy. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his Millennium Report, has called upon the Member States to promote the adoption and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. Specifically, he has urged those States whose ratifications are needed to bring it into effect to take neces­sary action in time for entry into force by 2002.

"Environmental sustainability is everybody's challenge... Our goal must be to meet the economic needs of the present without compromising the abil­ity of the planet to provide for the needs of future generations."

Secretary-general kofi annan in the millennium report: biodiversity – the web of life

iological diversity – or biodiversity – is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and upon which we so fully depend. This diversity is often understood in terms of the wide variety of plants, animals and micro-organisms. So far, about 1.75 million species have been identified, mostly small creatures, such as insects. Scientists reckon that there are actually about 13 million species, though estimates range from 3 million to 100 million. Biodiversity also includes genetic differences within each species – for example, between varieties of crops and breeds of livestock. Yet another aspect is the variety of ecosystems, such as those that occur in deserts, forests, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers and agricultural landscapes. It is the combination of life forms and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the environment that has made Earth a uniquely habitable place for humans.

He is changing life on Earth.

Protecting biodiversity is in our self-interest. Nature's products support such diverse industries as agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, horticulture, con­struction and waste treatment. The loss of biodiversity threatens our food supplies, oppor­tunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions.

Just consider the many goods and services provided by ecosystems:

Provision of food, fuel, fibre and shelter and building materials;

Purification of air and water, detoxification and decomposition of wastes;

Stabilization and moderation of Earth's climate;

Moderation of floods, droughts, temperature extremes and the forces of wind;

Generation and renewal of soil fertility, including nutrient cycling;

Pollination of plants, including many crops, control of pests and diseases;

Maintenance of genetic resources as key inputs to crop varieties and livestock breeds and medicines;

Cultural and aesthetic benefits.