textfiles-politics/politicalTextFiles/environ.txt

The information in this file was taken from the compilation of 
data presented in GAIA: An Atlas of Planet Management, edited by 
Norman Myers, (London, Anchor Press, 1984)(New York: Doubleday 
1987).
                          FOR THE RECORD

The Disappearing Soil:

        The total land area on the globe is 13 billion hectares, 
11% is arable land and 24% potentially arable.  Each year about 
11 million hectares are lost through erosion, becoming desert, 
becoming toxic, and cropland conversion to non-agricultural uses.  
We stand to lose 18% of the world's arable land by the year 2000.  
Between 1945 and 1975 about 30 million hectares of land in the 
U.S. were lost under concrete and asphalt - half was arable land.    

The Disappearing Fauna:

        Well over 90% of all species that have ever lived have 
disappeared.  About one species a year was lost in the early 
20th. century.  Some biologists argue that it is now higher than 
one species a day.

The Disappearing Flora:

        Botanists estimate that there are some 25,000 species 
currently threatened with extinction.  Africa's Cape region 
contains one of the six most significant concentrations of flora 
on Earth, including 68% of South Africa's 2,373 endangered 
plants.  Modern plant breeding has emphasized inbred, uniform 
strains.  Plant diseases and pest infestations can devastate 
modern breeds.  Only four varieties produce 75% of the wheat 
grown on Canada's prairieland.  Half of this land is covered by 
just one variety, Neepawa.

Loss of Green Cover:

        By 1975, the area covered by tropical forest was 12%.  By 
the year 2000 tropical forests may cover only 7% of the land.  
This decline contrasts markedly with temperate forests whose area 
remains constant around 20% thanks to reforestation.

Sharing the Earth's Resources:

        The U.S., with just 6% of the population, uses 30% of all 
energy produced--a stark contrast to India whose 20% of global 
population uses only 2% of the energy.  To sustain a reasonable 
quality of life requires about 80 litres of water per person per 
day.  But the average consumption ranges from 5.4 litres a day in 
Madagascar (barely enough to survive) to 500 litres a day in the 
U.S.  During the decade 1970-80, the numbers of rural people 
without clean water increased by 67 million to 1.15 billion, 
while those without proper sanitation rose by 300 million to 
almost 1.4 billion.  Numbers lacking sanitation in Third World 
cities doubled during the period 1975-80.

Recycling Our Resources:

        Recycling half of the world's paper consumption would meet 
almost 75% of new paper demand, and would release 8 million 
hectares of forest from paper production.  Fibre-rich countries, 
such as Canada and Sweden, are not in the front ranks of paper 
recyclers.  The energy required to produce one tonne of secondary 
aluminum from scrap is only 5% of the energy used to extract and 
process primary metal from ore.

Industrial Damage:

        Each year 450,000 tonnes of lead are released into the 
air by humans, compared with 3,500 tonnes from natural sources.  
Acid rain ranks among the most serious threats to the environment 
in the northern hemisphere.. heavily industrialized areas pump 
some 90 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the air each year.  
Although DDT was prohibited for use within the U.S. as long ago 
as 1972, the U.S. still manufactures over 18 million kilogrammes 
a year for export, largely to the Third World.

Promising Beginnings:

Third UN Conference on Law of the Sea 1973-82

        UNCLOS III, for the first time, unites the Law of the Sea 
into one "written constitution". Under UNCLOS III, the 
traditional "Freedom of the Seas" remain for 60% of the ocean, 
but 42% of this, the deep sea beds area, is designated the common 
heritage of mankind, and will be controlled by an international 
Seabed Authority.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

        Signed by over 80 countries since 1973, CITES prohibits 
international commercial trade in the rarest 600 or so species of 
animals and plants, and requires licences from the country of 
origin for exports of about another 200 groups. (Illicit trade 
continues to undermine the impact of the Convention.)

World Conservation Strategy

        Launched in 1980, backed by IUCN,WWF, UNEP, FAO and 
UNESCO, and cross-checked by 400 scientists it presents a single, 
integrated approach to global problems.  About 30 countries have 
translated the global strategy into national action.

The Regional Seas Programme

        The Regional Seas Programme, launched by the United 
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1974, is promoting 
regional management of 11 regional seas.

The Barcelona Convention

        In 1976, seventeen Mediterranean countries signed the 
Barcelona Convention for concerted action to clean up the 
Mediterranean.  Under the convention mercury, cadmium and DDT are 
completely banned.

Biological Control

        China's Big Sand Commune raises 220,000 ducks to control 
insect pests in fields of young rice.  Ducklings consume about 200 
insects per hour and cut the use of chemical insecticides from 
770,000 kg in 1973 to 6,700 kg in 1975. Imported parasitic 
insects have saved the Florida citrus industry $35,000,000 a year 
in pesticides, following an outlay of $35,000.






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