Earth’s resources in peril, UN warns

Goals for the Rio Summit almost all unmet: report

RIO DE JANEIRO — Population growth and unsustainable consumption are driving Earth towards “unprecedented” environmental destruction, the UN said in a report ahead of the Rio Summit.

Of 90 key goals to protect the environment, only four have seen good progress, the United Nations Environment Program ( UNEP) said in a planetary assessment issued every five years.

“If current patterns of production and consumption of natural resources prevail and cannot be reversed and ‘ decoupled,’ then governments will preside over unprecedented levels of damage and degradation,” said UNEP executivedirector Achim Steiner.

The June 20- 22 summit aims at plotting a course for green development over the next two decades.

But the report warned of many challenges, painting a tableau of a planet whose resources were being stressed into the red zone.

Since 1950, the world’s population has doubled to seven billion and is on course for around 9.3 billion by 2050.

At the same time, use of natural resources has zoomed as emerging countries follow rich economies in a lifestyle that is gluttonous on energy and use of water, habitat and fisheries.

“Burgeoning populations and growing economies are pushing environmental systems to destabilizing limits,” said the report.

It analyzed 90 objectives for the environment identified by UN members.

Only four have seen significant progress: scrapping CFC chemicals that damage Earth’s protective ozone layer; removing lead from fuel; increasing access to clean water for the poor; and boosting research to reduce marine pollution.

In 40 goals that UN member states asked to be monitored, there was “some” progress, such as expanding national parks and tackling deforestation.

But there was little or no progress in 24 others, including curbing climate change, fisheries depletion and desertification.

“The scientific evidence, built over decades, is overwhelming and leaves little room for doubt,” Steiner said. “The moment has come to put away the paralysis of indecision, acknowledge the facts and face up to the common humanity that unites all peoples.”

“Rio+ 20 is a moment to turn sustainable development from aspiration and patchy implementation into a genuine path to progress and prosperity for this and the next generations to come.”

For climate change, the last decade was the warmest on record, and in 2010 emissions from fossil fuels were the highest ever.

“Under current models, greenhouse- gas emissions could double over the next 50 years, leading to ( a) rise in global temperature of three degrees Celsius or more by the end of the century,” UNEP said. “The annual economic damage from climate change is estimated at one to two per cent of world GDP by 2100 if temperatures increase by 2.5 C,” it warned. The UN’s target is 2 C.

However, there have been gains in energy efficiency and “some progress” towards meeting emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol, UNEP said.

For eight goals, including preservation of the coral reefs, things have deteriorated.

The GEO report proposed a panoply of remedial measures for Earth’s population to start living within its means, including more efficient use of energy and eco- friendlier resources.

Also important was to redefine human progress so that it goes beyond the simple yardstick of economic growth to included quality of life issues.

The Rio Summit is to assess progress since the landmark 1992 Earth Summit.