Global Warming Statistics
This article contains some disturbing global warming statistics. Here are some staggering statistics from a March 2000 report entitled World Resources 2000-20001, by the United Nations Development Program:
- Half of the world's wetlands were lost last century. - Logging and conversion have shrunk the world's forests by as much as half. - Some 9 percent of the world's tree species are at risk of extinction; tropical deforestation may exceed 130,000 square kilometers per year. - Fishing fleets are 40 percent larger than the ocean can sustain. - Nearly 70 percent of the world's major marine fish stocks are over-fished or are being fished at their biological limit. - Soil degradation has affected two-thirds of the world's agricultural lands in the last 50 years. - Some 30 percent of the world's original forests have been converted to agriculture. - Since 1980, the global economy has tripled in size and population has grown by 30 percent to 6 billion people. - Dams, diversions or canals fragment almost 60 percent of the world's largest rivers. - Twenty percent of the world's freshwater fish are extinct, threatened or endangered. - 1,100 out of 10 000 species of birds are in danger of or are completely extinct. - 25% of the 4 400 species of mammals as well as 1/3 of all fresh-water and sea fish are in danger of extinction. - The catch of fish is at its limiting capacity (approx. 90 million tons yearly) and cannot be raised in the future. - During the last century the Earth has lost 50% of its forests. - Water consumption is tripled (70% for irrigation purposes). - Roughly 100 million families-about 500 million people-lack ownership rights to the land they cultivate. - The impact of toxic chemicals is already widespread-the average person today carries levels of lead that are 500-1,000 times higher than our pre-industrial ancestors, and worldwide some 300-500 million tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year. - According to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 400,000 square miles of Arctic sea ice have melted. - The greatest threat to human health is an increase in the incidence of skin cancer; each 1% loss of total ozone leads to a 3% to 5% increase in skin cancer cases. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is also one of the fastest growing types of cancer in the world. Many dermatologists believe there may be a link between childhood sunburns and melanoma later in life. Unfortunately, all those global warming statistics are 100% true and prove how real global warming is and outline the seriousness of the problem. As matter of fact, global warming is the biggest challenge mankind has ever faced and our survival depends on how we handle it. |