 |
Over 6 billion people inhabit the planet today and reasonable mid-level estimates predict 9 to 10 billion by mid-century. Two and a half more "Earths" would be needed to support today's population if everyone were to use as many resources as Americans do.
|
|
|
Stratospheric ozone depletion is the direct result of the release of ozone-depleting chemicals used for various industrial and agricultural purposes.
|
|
|
Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 30% in the last 150 years.
|
|
|
Human activities are responsible for more atmospheric nitrogen fixation than all other sources combined. Nitrates contaminate ground water and surface water, and nitrous oxides the air at toxic concentrations.
|
|
|
Humans are responsible for more mercury deposition on the surface of the Earth than from other geological sources. Freshwater and marine fish are sufficiently contaminated with mercy to require warnings to women of reproductive age to limit consumption because of risks to fetal brain development.
|
|
|
Large numbers of plant and animal species have been driven to extinction and most marine fisheries are severely depleted. More than half the world's coral reefs are threatened by human activities.
|
|
|
Novel synthetic industrial chemicals contaminate the world's ecosystems, its human and non-human inhabitants, their breast milk and egg yolk, ovarian follicles and amniotic fluid. The toxicity of most is little known.
|
