Thought provoking statements about our environment and the world we live in.
If the Earth had formed a year ago, on January 1, life would have appeared on February 26, dinosaurs would have arrived on December 10 to vanish 16 days later, and Homo sapiens would only have showed up very late on December 31.
A few minutes later, in less than one minute, man would have drastically altered the fragile balance between land, seas and atmosphere.
60% of world oil reserves are held by countries that do not respect freedom.
(Mother Jones, 2008)
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Every year, the World Food Programme feeds, on average, more than 90 million hungry people in 80 countries, most of them refugees and displaced people.
(UN 2005)
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It now takes 6 weeks to use the amount of petrol used in 1 year in 1950. Half is used in transport.
(French Secretary of sustainable development, 2003)
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Half of the global population lives within 100 km of coastline. This number may rise to 75% by 2025.
(UNEP, 2004)
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Half the world, nearly three billion people, live on less than two dollars a day.
(Global Issues)
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It takes 1,500 litres of water to produce 1 kg of cereal and about 15,000 litres to produce 1 kg of beef.
(FAO)
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Since the industrial revolution, CO2 concentrations in the air have increased by 31%, while methane concentrations have doubled.
(IPCC)
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In large European cities, more than 80,000 deaths per year are due to air pollution caused by road traffic.
(World Health Organisation)
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To do nothing against climate change could cost 5,500 billion euros to the world-wide economy. It would be the equivalent of the twoWorld wars and the economic crisis of 1929.
(Stern Report 2006)
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80% of primary forests in the world have been destroyed during the 20th century.
(UICN)
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70% of the poorest populations are women and 50% of these women live in rural areas and although very often they do not have any rights to the land, women produce 2/3 of essential crops in developing countries
(IUCN 2006/ ONU)
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Every year, plastic waste causes the death of 1 million birds, 100,000 marine mammals and an incalculable number of fish.
(UNEP, 2004)
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Between 1990 and 2005, 3% of the world’s forest was lost. That is an average loss of 0.2% per annum.
(FAO)
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The degradation of ecosystems in the world is the first cause in the reduction of species.
(UNEP)
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On average, 40 litres of water are consumed per person per day. A Madagascan farmer consumes 10 litres, a Parisian 240 litres, and an American 600 litres.
(CNRS 2004)
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Planting a tree allows the reduction of the pollution of ground water, helps to fight against erosion, reconstitutes chemically damaged soils and can store CO2.
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More than 80% of ocean pollution is caused by human activities that take place on land
(UNEP, 2006)
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Up to 24% of diseases in the world are caused by environmental factors which could be avoided.
(World Health Organisation 2006)
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87% of the energy consumed around the world today comes from non-renewable resources.
(IEA)
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55% of the revenue generated by international tourism goes back into the airline companies, travel agencies and hotels, not to the population of the countries.
(World Bank)
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Production of solar electricity has increased 30% per year over the last decade. In 2002 alone, the top 10 producers increased output from 14% to 75%.
(www.europa.eu.int)
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Illegal international trade of endangered species is worth between 5 and 10 billion dollars annually and represents one of the major causes of the disappearance of those species.
(WWF)
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One in five adults worldwide cannot read or write. 98% are from developing countries; Two thirds are women.
(UN)
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In developing countries, 90% of wastewater is sent back untreated into rivers and streams.
(WWF)
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20% of the global population has no access to drinking water.
(UN)
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It takes 1.8 tonnes of material to manufacture a personal computer.
(UNU)
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The past half century has witnessed more than 500 conflict-related events over water, seven of which have involved violence.
(UNO 2006)
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Worldwide, 1 in 4 mammal species, 1 in 8 bird species and 1 in 3 fish species and 2 in 5 amphibians species are threatened by extinction.
(IUCN, 2002)
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Despite the fact that coral reefs cover less than 0.5% of the ocean floor, it is estimated that more than 90% of marine species are either directly or indirectly dependent on them.
(UNEP, 2004)
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Occupying more than 40% of the planet’s land, arid areas are inhabited by one-third of the world’s population and have a higher rate of poverty than that in other regions.
(UNCCD 2005)
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More than 70% of marine fisheries are exploited to an extent where the ability to replenishment their capacity is exceeded.
(UNEP, 2004)
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Worldwide consumption of organic products is growing by between 10%
and 20% each year.
(Organic Monitor, 2005)
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Of all the children in the world who attend school, 80% will never reach secondary level.
(UNICEF, 2005)
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