The United Nations has cautioned that environment sustainability is under severe threat. While, the growth in global emissions of carbon dioxide is accelerating, birds and mammals are heading for extinction, said the UN report.
According to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) report 2013, carbon dioxide emissions today are more than 46 per cent higher than their 1990 level. This, after a short term reprieve when emissions of carbon dioxide declined by 0.4 per cent between 2008 and 2009. The CO2 emissions have increased by 5 per cet between 2009 and 2010 and are now 46 per cent above their 1990 level. “Data collected over two decades show that the growth in global emissions has accelerated rising 10 per cent from 1990 to 2000 and 33 per cent from 2000 to 2010,” said the report.
Experts have blamed fast paced growth in developing regions for the spur in emissions. In developing regions the Co2 emissions increased by 7 per cent between 2009 and 2010 as compared to 3 per cent in developed regions. “In the decade between 1990 and 2000, emissions in developing regions grew by 48 per cent, during the following decade (2000-2010) they increased by 81 per cent. In contrast, emissions in developed regions declined 7 per cent and by 1 per cent respectively,” added the report.
Dr R.K. Pachauri, chair of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, (IPCC) said that “reducing emissions of gases will bring substantial improvement in the health of the people. Millions of people in India are dying of indoor air pollutions. This needs to be investigated.”
The report also found that forests are disappearing at a rapid pace. The primary reasons for deforestation-the report says is-conversion of forests into agriculture land to feed the world’s growing population.
Ms Lise Grande, United Nations resident coordinator, said that the problem can only be addressed if there is a new level of global cooperation.
The situations has been such that more birds and mammals and other species are heading for extinction at an ever faster pace-with declines both in population and distribution, said the report.
“While what remains to be achieved is going to be complicated. As an optimist I feel that we will find the means,” added Dr Pachauri.
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