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ronmental impacts are usually local, such as the disappear- pollution, 2.2 million are from indoor pollution and 80 per
ance of forests and associated watersheds, soil erosion or cent of the victims are rural people from developing
desertification or the brown haze hovering over cities. Less countries.Today, climate experts worry that continued in-
obvious are phenomena such as the build-up of carbon di- creases in atmospheric concentrations of CO2 - already 28
oxide in the atmosphere, the global decline of fish catches per cent higher than pre-industrial levels - could result in
or the pollution of land and water resources with industrial temperature increase resulting to raised sea levels around
and hazardous wastes. the world and seriously disrupting agricultural production.
Further complicating the issue is the lack of data to help The impact of population growth in rural areas can push
researchers determine trends and accurately measure communities into unsustainable practices, such as the burn-
what is happening, a reflection of the relative youth of the ing and razing of tropical forests in order to plant crops,
environmental sciences, disciplines that require expertise over-cropping - and subsequent depletion - of fragile arable
across research areas. land and over-pumping of groundwater.
Some trends are already obvious, however, particularly with For the past 50 years, food production has kept ahead of
regard to the three "renewable" resources on which hu- rising demand. Today, in a world where two-thirds of the
man life depends: land, water and air. Each year, an esti- people depend on rice, wheat and/or maize as their staple
mated 5 to 7 million hectares of agricultural lands are lost food, 80 countries cannot produce enough food to feed their
to accelerating land degradation and rapid urbanization. A own populations from existing land and water resources.
sixth of the world's land area -- nearly 2 billion hectares -- According to FAO, world food production will have to double
is now degraded as a result of overgrazing and poor farm- in order to provide food security for 7.8 billion people ex-
ing practices. Another 16 to 20 million hectares of tropical pected by 2025.
forests and woodlands are lost each year.
Without higher standards of living, one-fifth of the world's
Water is a finite resource. There is no more water on earth people - and their children - will continue to suffer from mal-
now than there was 2,000 years ago when the population nutrition, disease and illiteracy.The gradual slowing of popu-
was less than 3 per cent of its current size. During this cen- lation growth already underway is part of the answer to
tury, while world population has tripled, water withdraw- this environmental dilemma. With slower growth rates,
als have increased by over six times. Today, with water scar- countries will have more time to prepare for the still inevi-
city defined as less than 1,000 cubic metres per person per table.
year, 458 million people in 31 countries face water short-
ages. By 2025, close to 3 billion people in 48 countries will North-South cooperation is vital to succeed in ending abso-
be affected by critical water shortages for all or part of the lute poverty, a further element in the ongoing environmen-
year. tal dilemma. For those eking out a living, environmentally
sound practices are a luxury, not a choice. Developed coun-
The pollution and increasing scarcity of renewable fresh tries need to develop technologies which minimize damage
water supplies also threaten human health and welfare. An to natural systems and make these new technologies more
estimated 1.1 billion people were without access to clean widely available to developing countries. For both North and
drinking water in 1994; 2.8 billion people lacked access to South the ultimate goal should be sustainability in all areas
sanitation services. Waterborne diseases infect some 250 of economic activity, including agriculture, industry, forestry,
million people each year, about 10 million of whom die. The fisheries, transportation and tourism.
poor are most exposed to fumes and polluted rivers and least
able to protect themselves. A favourable international economic climate, featuring
improved and reliable access to developed country markets,
Of the estimated 2.7 million deaths each year from air debt reduction and an increased flow of financial resources
“A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.”
24 PR COMMUNICATION AGE February 2016
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