This page reveals the details behind the UN's new report on our environment. It doesn't describe a very abundant future. According to the United Nations, we as a world society are almost past the point of no return. Recovery is possible, if we act now, but it seems we are too "in the moment" to take the necessary action.
With less than 1/6th of the world being industrialized we are already using 1/3 more of our natural resources than is sustainable. By 2050, we should have 150% as many people as we do now. That's a global population of 9 billion people. China and India are racing to catch up to the U.S.'s standard of living, but the report points out that there simply aren't enough natural resources to get them to where they want to be.
Farmers' runoff is changing the water in many areas, deoxygenating it and killing all the normal life. Deoxygenation is exactly what happened when the dinosaurs died. The water, devoid of oxygen, became a habitat for bacteria that produced hydrogen sulfide, which then killed the sea's portion of the food chain. That, in turn, caused a chain reaction that worked its way up to the very top.
Overfishing has already gone past the point of no return in some areas, destroying fish populations and creating an unfixable situation. And fresh water is badly polluted in many areas, as well.
But what is this report, really? Just more facts, just another warning. What we need is action, but we're dangerously short on supply of that, as well.
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