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144 lines
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144 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
The information in this file was taken from the compilation of
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data presented in GAIA: An Atlas of Planet Management, edited by
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Norman Myers, (London, Anchor Press, 1984)(New York: Doubleday
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1987).
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FOR THE RECORD
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The Disappearing Soil:
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The total land area on the globe is 13 billion hectares,
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11% is arable land and 24% potentially arable. Each year about
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11 million hectares are lost through erosion, becoming desert,
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becoming toxic, and cropland conversion to non-agricultural uses.
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We stand to lose 18% of the world's arable land by the year 2000.
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Between 1945 and 1975 about 30 million hectares of land in the
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U.S. were lost under concrete and asphalt - half was arable land.
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The Disappearing Fauna:
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Well over 90% of all species that have ever lived have
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disappeared. About one species a year was lost in the early
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20th. century. Some biologists argue that it is now higher than
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one species a day.
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The Disappearing Flora:
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Botanists estimate that there are some 25,000 species
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currently threatened with extinction. Africa's Cape region
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contains one of the six most significant concentrations of flora
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on Earth, including 68% of South Africa's 2,373 endangered
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plants. Modern plant breeding has emphasized inbred, uniform
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strains. Plant diseases and pest infestations can devastate
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modern breeds. Only four varieties produce 75% of the wheat
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grown on Canada's prairieland. Half of this land is covered by
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just one variety, Neepawa.
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Loss of Green Cover:
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By 1975, the area covered by tropical forest was 12%. By
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the year 2000 tropical forests may cover only 7% of the land.
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This decline contrasts markedly with temperate forests whose area
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remains constant around 20% thanks to reforestation.
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Sharing the Earth's Resources:
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The U.S., with just 6% of the population, uses 30% of all
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energy produced--a stark contrast to India whose 20% of global
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population uses only 2% of the energy. To sustain a reasonable
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quality of life requires about 80 litres of water per person per
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day. But the average consumption ranges from 5.4 litres a day in
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Madagascar (barely enough to survive) to 500 litres a day in the
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U.S. During the decade 1970-80, the numbers of rural people
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without clean water increased by 67 million to 1.15 billion,
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while those without proper sanitation rose by 300 million to
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almost 1.4 billion. Numbers lacking sanitation in Third World
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cities doubled during the period 1975-80.
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Recycling Our Resources:
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Recycling half of the world's paper consumption would meet
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almost 75% of new paper demand, and would release 8 million
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hectares of forest from paper production. Fibre-rich countries,
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such as Canada and Sweden, are not in the front ranks of paper
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recyclers. The energy required to produce one tonne of secondary
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aluminum from scrap is only 5% of the energy used to extract and
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process primary metal from ore.
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Industrial Damage:
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Each year 450,000 tonnes of lead are released into the
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air by humans, compared with 3,500 tonnes from natural sources.
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Acid rain ranks among the most serious threats to the environment
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in the northern hemisphere.. heavily industrialized areas pump
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some 90 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the air each year.
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Although DDT was prohibited for use within the U.S. as long ago
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as 1972, the U.S. still manufactures over 18 million kilogrammes
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a year for export, largely to the Third World.
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Promising Beginnings:
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Third UN Conference on Law of the Sea 1973-82
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UNCLOS III, for the first time, unites the Law of the Sea
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into one "written constitution". Under UNCLOS III, the
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traditional "Freedom of the Seas" remain for 60% of the ocean,
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but 42% of this, the deep sea beds area, is designated the common
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heritage of mankind, and will be controlled by an international
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Seabed Authority.
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Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
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Signed by over 80 countries since 1973, CITES prohibits
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international commercial trade in the rarest 600 or so species of
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animals and plants, and requires licences from the country of
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origin for exports of about another 200 groups. (Illicit trade
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continues to undermine the impact of the Convention.)
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World Conservation Strategy
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Launched in 1980, backed by IUCN,WWF, UNEP, FAO and
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UNESCO, and cross-checked by 400 scientists it presents a single,
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integrated approach to global problems. About 30 countries have
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translated the global strategy into national action.
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The Regional Seas Programme
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The Regional Seas Programme, launched by the United
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Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1974, is promoting
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regional management of 11 regional seas.
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The Barcelona Convention
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In 1976, seventeen Mediterranean countries signed the
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Barcelona Convention for concerted action to clean up the
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Mediterranean. Under the convention mercury, cadmium and DDT are
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completely banned.
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Biological Control
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China's Big Sand Commune raises 220,000 ducks to control
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insect pests in fields of young rice. Ducklings consume about 200
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insects per hour and cut the use of chemical insecticides from
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770,000 kg in 1973 to 6,700 kg in 1975. Imported parasitic
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insects have saved the Florida citrus industry $35,000,000 a year
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in pesticides, following an outlay of $35,000.
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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Another file downloaded from: The NIRVANAnet(tm) Seven
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Taipan Enigma 510/935-5845
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Burn This Flag Zardoz 408/363-9766
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realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510/527-1662
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Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 801/278-2699
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The New Dork Sublime Biffnix 415/864-DORK
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The Shrine Rif Raf 206/794-6674
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Planet Mirth Simon Jester 510/786-6560
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"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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