Environment

As we begin a new millennium, human impacts on the environment are becoming both more apparent and more widespread.

Almost 40 percent of the earth's land surface has been converted to cropland or permanent pasture and half the planet's tropical forests have been destroyed or degraded.

The planet's protective ozone layer has been badly damaged, while record-high carbon emissions cause smog and acid rain, and contribute to global warming and climate change.

An estimated three unique plant, animal or other species go extinct every hour.

All of these environmental impacts result from the needs and desires of our growing population and the models of production and consumption we use to try to meet those needs and desires.

Much of the damage to the environment is a result of over-consumption of resources and generation of wastes by wealthy nations and individuals.

Some of the damage is a result of scarcity and poverty that force poor nations and individuals to make environmentally unsound decisions to survive.

All of these impacts pose a threat to human health, security, and livelihoods

We could protect the environment by creating conditions that allow all people to make environmentally appropriate decisions – about family size, livelihood, and consumption patterns.

This means addressing the economic and social inequalities that often force people to have large families and to damage the environment just to survive.

It also means eliminating economic and social policies that promote over-consumption and unsustainable production models

One important way to protect and restore the environment is to shift taxes onto things we don't want – pollution, resource depletion and excess consumption – and away from things we do want, such as income and investment.

Another is to develop and implement renewable, non-polluting energy systems, including solar and hydrogen fuel technologies.

Another is to develop and implement efficient production processes and technologies that reuse and recycle virtually all materials.

These efforts would enhance the health of families, communities and ecosystems, and create a strong, sustainable economy in the process.

Food and Water Security

Nothing is as basic to human survival as food and water.

But billions of people lack access to adequate nutrition and clean water.

Population growth and increasing per capita food consumption by wealthier nations and people aggravate both hunger and environmental damage from food production.

Population growth and expanding agricultural, industrial and municipal water use pose serious concerns to water quality and availability.

Some 800 million people are chronically hungry and over two billion lack adequate nutrition.

There is enough food available to feed everyone on the planet, today. But economic policies, poverty, discrimination, and poor governance keep many people from receiving enough food.

However, the United Nations estimates we will need to increase food production more than 50 percent by 2025 to feed our growing population.

We are also doing damage to the Earth in producing much of our food – through destroying natural habitats for farmland, over-fishing, pollution from pesticides and fertilizers, soil erosion, and desertification.

More than 80 countries now face water shortages to some degree.

Many important aquifer and river systems have been seriously depleted by water withdrawals for human use.

Because of population growth, as many as 3 billion people may face chronic water scarcity by 2025.

As more people need more water, the potential for civil conflicts, "water wars" and greater environmental damage increases.

It is possible to provide adequate food and water for everyone.

We can convert to "sustainable agriculture" and improve harvesting, transportation, and storage technologies that currently waste as much as one quarter of all food produced.

We can use water much more efficiently in agriculture, industry, and residential applications.

We can address the poverty and discrimination that deny many people access to adequate food and water.