Report of WorldWatch Institute

1. Report of WorldWatch Institute • So looking at projected figures, it will be difficult to feed the World Population in coming decades. • Since in mid-20th, grain land area per person has fallen in half from 0.24 to 0.12 hectares. If the world grain area almost remains more or less same, the area per person will shrink to 0.08 hectares by 2050.

2. The Sea Food • From 1950 to 1997, the ocean fish expanded from 19 million tons to 90 million tons, most of marine biologists think that oceans can not sustain the 95 million tons, in coming decades with growing population.

3. The irreversible trend • The increased extinction of plant and animal species, the share of birds, mammals, and fish vulnerable or in immediate danger of extinction is now measured in double digits as below: • 11% of worlds 8,615 birds species, 25% of worlds mammals species, and 34% of all fish species. The main cause is habitat destruction.

4. Ethical Issues • What is the extent of destruction produced by the present technological advancement and its projected values in future. If the values we have given are reduced to half, may slow down some damage. • Who should pay the cost of Polluting the environment? • How long will our natural resources last? • What are the obligations of firms for future generations?

5. The Dimensions of Pollution • Pollution comes from undesirable and unintended contamination of the environment by the manufacturers and users of commodities. • Resource depletion of finite and scarce resources.

6. Air Pollution • It is not new. It came with industrial revolution with smoke chimneys and exhausts. • It affects vegetation, human health, timber, cause corrosion, deteriorate exposed construction materials. • Cause global warming.

7. Global Warming • Gases like carbon dioxide, nirous oxide, methane etc. absorb the heat as green houses are absorbing the heat. They have kept the earth temperature about 33 degree c0 warmer than it would otherwise be, to cause the life flourish. • Burning of fossilized fuels, industrial exhaust during 1950 has increased the green house gases. Carbon dioxide is increasing 1.4% a year.

8. Global warming • The model studies have indicated that release of such gases have captured heat and it caused world temperature to increase. • Average temperature has increased by 1 degree and expected to be at 1.5 to 4.5 degree during this century. • This rise is causing destruction.

9. Global Warming • Most scenarios concerning the effects of global warming predict massive flooding, increase of disease, loss of plant and animal species, and expansion of deserts at the expense of agricultural land. These effects will have high human and economic costs.

10. Global Warming • However, to halt the increase of greenhouse gasses, we would have to reduce emissions by 60% to 70%, a level that would damage the economies of countries around the world. • To halt global warming, experts say that we would need to change our lifestyles and values drastically.

11. Ozone depletion • Ozone depletion is also a serious concern. Caused by the release of CFCs into the atmosphere, ozone depletion may lead to several hundred thousand new cases of skin cancer each year and destroy many valuable food crops.

12. Ozone depletion • Also, ocean plankton, on which the entire ocean's food chain depends, may be severely damaged. • Even though CFC production has been nearly halted, we can expect the gasses already released to continue damaging the ozone for the next century.

13. Acid Rain • Burning fossil fuels causes acid rain and global warming. Though not as devastating as global warming, it nevertheless is harming many fish populations and trees, corroding bridges and buildings, and contaminating drinking water. • Airborne toxins and air quality in general are also serious concerns for human health.