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These five megatrends present major global threats for planet Earth -
problems that must be solved if the world is to remain a supportive
habitat for humans and other species. DW looks at causes and possible
solutions.
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1. Air pollution and climate change.
Problem: Overloading of the atmosphere and
of ocean waters with carbon. Atmospheric CO2 absorbs and re-emits
infrared-wavelength radiation, leading to warmer air, soils, and ocean
surface waters - which is good: The planet would be frozen solid without
this.
Unfortunately, there's now too much carbon in the air. Burning of fossil
fuels, deforestation for agriculture, and industrial activities have
pushed up atmospheric CO2 concentrations from 280 parts per million (ppm)
200 years ago, to about 400 ppm today. That's an unprecedented rise, in
both size and speed. The result: climate disruption.
Carbon overloading is only one form of air pollution caused by burning
coal, oil, gas and wood. The World Health Organization recently
estimated that one in nine deaths in 2012 were attributable to diseases
caused by carcinogens and other poisons in polluted air.
Solutions: Replace fossil fuels with
renewable energy. Reforestation. Reduce emissions from agriculture.
Change industrial processes.
The good news is that clean energy is abundant - it just needs to be
harvested. Many say a 100 percent renewable-energy future is feasible
with existing technology now.
But the bad news is that even though renewable energy infrastructure -
solar panels, wind turbines, energy storage and distribution systems -
are already widespread, and getting cheaper and more efficient all the
time, experts say we're not applying them quickly enough to prevent
catastrophic climate disruption. Barriers in policy and finance remain
to be overcome. |
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2. Deforestation.
Problem: Species-rich wild forests are
being destroyed, especially in the tropics, often to make way for cattle
ranching, soybean or palm oil plantations, or other agricultural
monocultures.
Today, about 30 percent of the planet's land area is covered by forests
- which is about half as much as before agriculture got started around
11,000 years ago. About 7.3 million hectares (18 million acres) of
forest are destroyed each year, mostly in the tropics. Tropical forests
used to cover about 15 percent of the planet's land area; they're now
down to 6 or 7 percent. Much of this remainder has been degraded by
logging or burning.
Not only do natural forests act as biodiversity reserves, they are also
carbon sinks, keeping carbon out of the atmosphere and oceans.
Solutions: Conserve of what's left of
natural forests, and restore degraded areas by replanting with native
tree species. This requires strong governance - but many tropical
countries are still developing, with increasing populations, uneven
rule-of-law, and widespread cronyism and bribery when it comes to
allocating land use. |
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3. Species extinction.
Problem: On land, wild animals are being
hunted to extinction for bushmeat, ivory, or "medicinal" products. At
sea, huge industrial fishing boats equipped with bottom-trawling or
purse-seine nets clean out entire fish populations. The loss and
destruction of habitat are also major factors contributing to a wave of
extinction - unprecedented in that it is caused by a single species:
humans. The IUCN's Red List of threatened and endangered species
continues to grow.
Not only do species inherently deserve to exist, they also provide
products and "services" essential to human survival. Think bees and
their pollinating prowess - necessary for growing food.
Solutions: Concerted efforts need to be
made to prevent further loss of biodiversity. Protecting and restoring
habitats is one side of this - protecting against poaching and wildlife
trade is another. This should be done in partnership with locals, so
that wildlife conservation is in their social and economic interest. |
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4. Soil degradation.
Problem: Overgrazing, monoculture planting,
erosion, soil compaction, overexposure to pollutants, land-use
conversion - there's a long list of ways that soils are being damaged.
About 12 million hectares of farmland a year get seriously degraded,
according to UN estimates.
Solutions: A wide range of soil
conservation and restoration techniques exist, from no-till agriculture
to crop rotation to water-retention through terrace-building. Given that
food security depends on keeping soils in good condition, we're likely
master this challenge in the long run. Whether this will be done in a
way equitable to all people around the globe, remains an open question. |
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5. Overpopulation.
Problem: Human population continues to grow
rapidly worldwide. Humanity entered the 20th century with 1.6 billion
people; right now, we're about 7.5 billion. Estimates put us at nearly
10 billion by 2050. Growing global populations, combined with growing
affluence, is putting ever greater pressure on essential natural
resources, like water. Most of the growth is happening on the African
continent, and in southern and eastern Asia.
Solutions: Experience has shown that when
women are empowered to control their own reproduction, and gain access
to education and basic social services, the average number of births per
woman drops precipitously.
Done right, networked aid systems could bring women out of extreme
poverty, even in countries where state-level governance remains abysmal.
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