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                   UN Warns of Irreversible Damage to Planet

   by Zulima Palacio

   A United Nations report says the world faces irreversible change to
   life support functions if humanity does not change its ways.  The
   United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) issued the report ahead the
   U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, set for Brazil at the end
   of June.
   The Global Environmental Outlook, or GEO5, says the world is on an
   unsustainable path, despite more than 500 international agreements. And
   scientific evidence says Earth's systems are being pushed toward their
   limits.
   "We have some specific examples: carbon emissions are continuing to
   grow, not decline," said Amy Fraenkel, who directs the U.N.'s
   Environmental Program in North America. "We already exceeded the safe
   levels of where scientists say we need to be reaching in the atmosphere
   for greenhouse gases. Biodiversity has declined, our oceans are not in
   good shape, our fisheries are not in good shape."
   The report warns of unprecedented damage if the current pattern of
   production and consumption of natural resources is not reversed.
   James Dobrowolski, with the U.S. Agriculture Department, is one of the
   report's lead authors.  He says population growth, urbanization,
   unsustainable consumption and the use of fossil fuels for energy all
   cause environmental change.
   "Geo5 reports that 4.9 million deaths were attributable to
   environmental exposure to chemicals in 2004," said Dobrowolski. "That
   is from the World Health Organization. And chemical consumption in
   developing countries could account for a third of the global
   consumption by 2020."
   Dobrowolski  also cites computer and electronic waste as a major new
   source of pollution.
   "Estimated at 20 to 50 million tons per year, e-waste has been
   identified as one of the really important emerging issues in GEO5," he
   said.
   The report cites some successes, notably bans on lead in gasoline and
   ozone-depleting substances.
   "The political challenge is to get the message across so even in
   financially difficult times, dealing with the environment is not an
   afterthought, is something that we do right now," said Fraenkel.
   Fraenkel says there's an urgent need for a green economy and that's the
   message to the Rio+20 conference.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/un-warns-of-irreversible-damage-to-pl
   anet/1204705.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/un-warns-of-irreversible-damage-to-planet/1204705.html