- Environmental Assets -

UN's Global Environment outlook argues that each human's 'footprint' is 1/3 greater than is actually available. Failing to address problems in the atmosphere, land, water and biodiversity may threaten survival. 30% of amphibians, 23% of mammals, 12% of birds are threaten with extinction. 75% of fish stocks are fully or over exploited. 6 of world's 10 largest rivers have been dammed - and 10% no longer reach the sea. Loss of biodiversity is linked to energy use, and can change disease patterns. Maintaining biodiversity is critical. There are warnings of possible mass extinctions. Climate change is seen as a major threat, to which responses have been woefully inadequate. Leadership, however, may need to come from private sector as politicians can't provide it. (Powell S. 'How we're destroying our habitat', A, 14/11/07).

Humanity is changing earth's climate so fast and devouring resources to the point where a ravaged planet could be all that is available to future generations - according the UN's 4^th Global Environment report. At stake is human survival. Earth has experienced 5 mass extinctions and is currently experienced a sixth. Report suggests that: *a) climate is changing faster than at any time in the past 500,000 years; (b) human population is so big that it exceeds earth's capacity to provide resources (c) Africa faces land degradation which threatens food production (d) fish resources are depleting (e) many species are threatened. Some damage may already be irreversible (Mojon J 'The race to save planet earth reached Critical Mass', CM, 27-28/10/07).

A top chef has argued that environmental degradation and surge in fine dining restaurants worldwide will have dramatic effect on food trade. Habitats are destroyed, wild fish stocks are lost, some vegetables and fruits are very scarce. Chefs will have to adapt because in future only farmed or genetically-altered food would be available (McCord M 'World eating into wildlife', CM, 22/5/07).

All fish may be unavailable as food by 2048 if current rate of species loss continues (O'Malley B. CM, 4-5/11/06).

WWF report argues that earth's resources are being depleted 25% faster than they can be renewed - and that human footprint must be reduced (Smith L 'Earth's ecosystems face large scale collapse', A, 25/10/06).

Disputes about who killed the megafauna in Australia (climate change or aborigines) have flared again (O'Keefe B 'Hunt widens for megafauna killer', A, 3/5/06).

There are risks in global environmental dilemma. The atmosphere has been loaded with mercury from burning coal - to the point where eating fish is dangerous for young women. Yet fixing this problem is feasible - if only there was the will. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment concluded that 15 of earth's 24 ecosystems vital for life are degraded or overdrawn. CIA argues that 3bn people will live in water stressed regions by 2015. Water tables in major grain producing regions in North China are falling 1.5m pa, and per capital water availability in India will fall 50-70% over next decade. Chronically malnourished people will increase 20% over next decade. The problem arises because consumers lack more environmentally friendly choices (Pope C., 'The state of Nature', FR, 22/7/05).

Scientists have predicted that at least 1/10 of world's remaining bird species face extinction by end of century (Henderson M, A, 15/12/04).

Specific studies of birds, butterflies and plants in UK have confirmed suspicions about precipitous loss of biodiversity. This is expected to be realistic indicator of situation worldwide (Dayton L 'Species loss truly alarming', A, 20-21/3/04)

The biggest issue of this century (to which both left and right are blind) is dominance of all living systems by a single species - humanity. This has never happened in earth's history. Naturally this displaces other species. We are in the early / middle stages of a mass extinction (the sixth in earth's history). This has been compounded by use of buried carbon. It is inconceivable that humanity and other species can pass through coming stresses unscathed. At the end of the century to planet will be devastated. . The US government is dedicated to unimaginable environmental destruction. Everlasting growth is mathematically impossible (Lynas M 'A plague of human proportions', FR, 27/2/04).

Bjorne Lomborg has been cleared of charges of scientific dishonest that have been leveled at him in relation to his claims that environmentalists are exaggerating environmental problems (Tribe D 'Harsh blow for green Luddites', A, 26/12/03)

Yale University Economists have assigned an economic value of $57bn to the Great Barrier Reef (Wardill S 'CM, 23/10/03)

Lomborg's Sceptical Environmentalist is misleading. It shows no understanding of the intricate ways in which expanding human activities threatens human support systems (eg how extermination of populations threatens delivery of ecosystem services - such as amelioration of climate, recycling of nutrients). It does not discuss possibility of climate change leading to millions of deaths. It ignores Word Scientists warning that humanity and environment are on a collision course. The book gained endorsement because it was published by Cambridge University Press (Ehrlick P 'Clueless eco-sceptic relies on the power of wishful thinking', A, 1/10/03)

Lomborg is not sceptical nor an environmentalist in any accepted sense of word. He is better seen as Gullible Economist. His basic argument is that increased wealth allows people to restore environmental systems - so rapidly increased wealth is solution to environmental problems. Lomborg correctly points out that environmentalists sometimes exaggerate to make a point. He claims to have statistical evidence that refutes the broad mass of environmentalist concerns. However almost all of those concerns are real for Australia - as shown by State of the Environment reports. At Global Change Science Conference 2 years ago it was concluded that many environmental parameters were outside any experience in human history. Unfortunately growth is not the answer to environmental problems - and business as usual is not an option (Lowe I 'Environment of misplaced skepticism', A, 1/10/03)

Bjorn Lomborg (in Sceptical Environmentalist) claims that statistical analysis shows that many of global ills (global warming, climate change, air pollution, hunger and human health) are overstated - because of distortions by vested interests. He argues that: human population is slowing; air pollution is falling in rich countries; species are not becoming extinct at unprecedented rate; and economic growth is the cure for many environmental problems. Such views are criticised by environmental scientists (eg on the basis of being selective in the data analyzed, unbalanced survey of climate literature). (Dayton L 'The Bjorn Storm', A, 27-28/9/03)

Overfishing could cause oceans' ecosystems to fail. 90% of big fish have already been caught (Guterl F 'Troubled seas', Bulletin, 15/7/03)

The gene pool of animals kept in zoos is very small - so animals tend to be sick. Zoos are not an effective way to protect species from extinction (Dent J 'Unnatural selection', Bulletin, 27/5/03)

Australia's unique animals and plants are often endangered - according to National Land and Water Resources Report (O'Malley B 'Natural heritage risks extinction', CM, 23/4/03)

Studies of the last great extinction - 65m years ago when the age of reptiles was ended by the impact of a 10km rock - shows that many species survived the catastrophe for millions of years and then petered out. Current estimates of the number of extinctions now likely are thus probably too low (Beale B 'Cataclysmic converter',  Bulletin, 24/9/02)

Species extinctions are 100-1000 times faster than before man. Human children now will be practically alone in the world on current trends (Gray J 'Will humanity be left home alone', FR, 30/8/02)

It is hoped to engage a large number of students in surveying the state of the environment (Yaman E 'Student army enlisted to map state of environment', A 22/7/02)

An international group of marine ecologists studied coastal ecosystems - and has discovered a massive fall in biomass and large animals since modern fishing methods started to be used. The extinction rate of species is 1000 times greater than it was prior to the human era (Buchannan M. 'Breaking the web of life',  FR,  19/7/02)

Degradation of land and water remains Australia’s most critical environmental issue – much of it a direct result of population pressure – according to the national State of the Environment report. Environmental groups criticized the report as understating some significant problems. The federal environment Minister described protection of soil and water as an urgent ask requiring an unprecedented national effort (Hodge A ‘Degradation is critical’ A, 20/3/02)

A CSIRO team is seeking methods to assign values to the services the environment provides - based on the cost of technological alternatives. This would allow values to be assigned to avoiding environmental degradation (Jones C. 'Nature's systems save us billions', Financial Review, 7/9/01)

Branding of timber with the globally recognized Forest Stewardship Council certificate appears to be an effective way to prevent the plunder of rainforests ('Cash forces Malaysia to green up its logging act', Australian, 5/9/01)