A landmark United Nations (UN) report on the state of Nature has revealed how humanity has wreaked havoc on the environment. The 1,800-paged document depicts a planet over consumed and badly affected by pollution.
The report reveals that during the past 50 years, pollution rates have doubled in the world. Moreover, the number of greenhouse gases emitted has also doubled, accompanied by overpopulation and overconsumption.
Human beings dump up to 400 million tonnes of heavy metals, toxic sludge, and other waste into oceans and rivers each year. Also, 75 percent of the land and 40 percent of the oceans ‘depict manifest severe impacts of degradation’.
The report further states that a third of all land is now given over to agriculture and 75 percent of freshwater resources is dedicated to food production. At least a quarter of greenhouse gases are produced from land clearing, crop production, and fertilization.
Agribusiness expansion has also led to the disappearance of vast swathes of CO2-absorbing forests.
Furthermore, the report found that 70,000 industrial fishing vessels operate in at least 55 percent of the world's high seas and industrial fishing is destroying the oceans.
The report also cites the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which lists 100,000 species that are close to extinction. 500,000 other species are also at risk of oblivion due to pollution and environmental degradation.
"At current trends, we risk drastic degradation, with drops in contributions critical for societies and uneven distribution of losses," the report states.
The report reveals that during the past 50 years, pollution rates have doubled in the world. Moreover, the number of greenhouse gases emitted has also doubled, accompanied by overpopulation and overconsumption.
Human beings dump up to 400 million tonnes of heavy metals, toxic sludge, and other waste into oceans and rivers each year. Also, 75 percent of the land and 40 percent of the oceans ‘depict manifest severe impacts of degradation’.
The report further states that a third of all land is now given over to agriculture and 75 percent of freshwater resources is dedicated to food production. At least a quarter of greenhouse gases are produced from land clearing, crop production, and fertilization.
Agribusiness expansion has also led to the disappearance of vast swathes of CO2-absorbing forests.
Furthermore, the report found that 70,000 industrial fishing vessels operate in at least 55 percent of the world's high seas and industrial fishing is destroying the oceans.
The report also cites the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which lists 100,000 species that are close to extinction. 500,000 other species are also at risk of oblivion due to pollution and environmental degradation.
"At current trends, we risk drastic degradation, with drops in contributions critical for societies and uneven distribution of losses," the report states.