World Issues

The Copenhagen Diagnosis

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Authors of the landmark 2009 climate report "The Copenhagen Diagnosis" estimate that by 2020 industrial nations must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by around 40% below 1990 levels to secure a decent chance of avoiding dangerous human interference with the climate system.

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Mankind Using Earth's Resources At Alarming Rate

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WASHINGTON — Humanity would need five Earths to produce the resources needed if everyone lived as profligately as Americans, according to a report issued Tuesday. As it is, humanity each year uses resources equivalent to nearly one-and-a-half Earths to meet its needs, said the report by Global Footprint Network, an international think tank. "We are demanding nature's services -- using resources and creating CO2 emissions -- at a rate...

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Climate Roulette

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They say that everyone who finally gets it about climate change has an "Oh, shit" moment--an instant when the full scientific implications become clear and they suddenly realize what a horrifically dangerous situation humanity has created for itself. Listening to the speeches, groundbreaking in their way, that President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered September 22 at the UN Summit on Climate Change, I was reminded of my most recent "Oh, shit" moment.

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Water Shortages Rising Across the Globe, But Especially India

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Grail Research has just released a study on water shortages across the world. Fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce, and in countries like India and China that are rapidly growing, the scarcity will hit hardest as the culture moves towards consumerism. The study's findings illustrate how current reserves must be managed more effectively if scarcity is to be mitigated, but at the current rate, an estimated 3 billion people will live below the water stress threshold by 2025.

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