By Tina Casey •
November 6, 2009
The U.S. Department of the Interior reports that overall water consumption in the United States has declined in the past 25 years, even though the population has increased 30% and use by individual American households has increased. The statistics were compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey.
What’s the secret? The 25-year patterns of water consumption revealed in the DOI report provide tantalizing clues about the ability of the U.S. to sustain its legendarily consumer-centric lifestyle while stabilizing and ultimately decreasing its contribution to carbon emissions and other greenhouse gasses.
www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/press_room/C68/pb4_ch7_datarelease
In Chapter 7 of the recently released Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Lester Brown lays out the Plan B goals for eradicating poverty and stabilizing population. Behind the scenes are a number of datasets and graphs that delve deeper into the trends discussed in the chapter. Here are some highlights from the Chapter 7 data:
World population has grown steadily over the past half century, increasing from 2.5 billion in 1950 to a projected 6.8 billion in 2009. The United Nations medium fertility level scenario projects that world population will grow to 9.2 billion in 2050. Their high projection takes the world to 10.5 billion in 2050. Under their low projection, which assumes rapid reductions in fertility rates, population peaks at just over 8 billion in 2042, then begins to decline.
Though life expectancies around the world have increased in the past half century, large discrepancies remain among different regions. Overall, world life expectancy increased from an average of 47 years in the mid-twentieth century to 68 years today. While life expectancy in 1950 hovered around 40 years in both Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, it has since increased far more rapidly in Asia, reaching 69 years, compared to 51 years in Sub-Saharan Africa. On a regional basis, the United States and Canada top the world with an average life expectancy of 79 years.
By Rhishja Larson •
September 28, 2009
Still in the mood for International Tiger Day? Enjoy a photo gallery of gorgeous tigers - and 10 fascinating tiger facts.
One day hardly seems like enough for endangered tigers. To celebrate International Tiger Day a bit longer, here is a gallery of gorgeous tiger photos - and ten fascinating tiger facts. Enjoy!
By Scott Cooney •
September 21, 2009
We all give to environmental non-profits for different reasons. Sometimes, with local groups, it’s to fight a certain development or to protest a local company’s toxic emissions. With national groups, it’s usually to fight policies we don’t agree with that come from governments or multinational companies. Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t. And even when we do, there are often compromises that make our hard fought victory less effective. It seems there is never a sure bet. Or is there?
There is one surefire way that donations will result in decreased emissions, decreased consumption, and slowing of environmental degradation. Can you guess how?
By Lester R. Brown
In recent years there has been a growing concern over thresholds or tipping points in nature. In my latest book Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, I state that scientists worry about when the shrinking population of an endangered species will fall to a point from which it cannot recover. Marine biologists are concerned about the point where overfishing will trigger the collapse of a fishery.
We know there were social tipping points in earlier civilizations, points at which they were overwhelmed by the forces threatening them. For instance, at some point the irrigation-related salt buildup in their soil overwhelmed the capacity of the Sumerians to deal with it. With the Mayans, there came a time when the effects of cutting too many trees and the associated loss of topsoil were simply more than they could manage.
The social tipping points that lead to decline and collapse when societies are overwhelmed by a single threat or by simultaneous multiple threats are not always easily anticipated. As a general matter, more economically advanced countries can deal with new threats more effectively than developing countries can. For example, while governments of industrial countries have been able to hold HIV infection rates among adults under 1 percent, many developing-country governments have failed to do so and are now struggling with much higher infection rates. This is most evident in some southern African countries, where up to 20 percent or more of adults are infected.
A similar situation exists with population growth. While populations in nearly all industrial countries except the United States have stopped growing, rapid growth continues in nearly all the countries of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. Nearly all of the 80 million people being added to world population each year are born in countries where natural support systems are already deteriorating in the face of excessive population pressure, in the countries least able to support them. In these countries, the risk of state failure is growing.
By Rhishja Larson •
August 17, 2009
Conservationists suspect EU regulations on dead animal removal have caused the griffon vulture population in Spain’s Hoces del Río Riaza National Park to plummet.
In an effort to curtail the spread of mad cow disease, the EU passed legislation in 2003 requiring the “prompt” removal of animal carcasses by farmers. Unfortunately, this has had a disastrous effect on the griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) residing in Hoces del Río Riaza National Park.
By Rhishja Larson •
August 17, 2009
As China marches forward with aggressive infrastructure construction plans, years of panda conservation face major setbacks.
Despite the panda’s status as China’s signature animal, China’s desire for economic development may spell doom for this shy and gentle creature.
The panda’s already fractured habitat is being split up into even smaller pockets by construction of highways at nature reserves. According to People’s Daily Online, WWF China has reported several panda populations have already been forced into habitats just 1 kilometer wide.
Pandas limited to fragmented home ranges are unable to breed with other populations, severely impacting opportunities for genetic diversity within the species - and leading to extinction in the wild.
By Rhishja Larson •
August 10, 2009
Controversial proposals by the Australian government would mean shooting more than 650,000 camels from helicopters - and even making camel burgers.
Camels have become a problem in Australia’s remote Outback.
There are now about a million camels, and the population doubles every nine years. The animals were introduced to the Australia in the 1840’s by explorers who relied on them to journey through the desert. But now, camels are competing with livestock for food - and are apparently scaring people by destroying water pipes and bathrooms as they search for water.
Sky News has reported that the Australian government believes the population needs to be culled by two thirds - and they have a budget of $19 million AUD to take care of the situation.
That means the mass killing of more than 650,000 camels.
By Rhishja Larson •
July 27, 2009
Finally, a bit of good news about wild tigers.
In Nepal, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (in coordination with the WWF and the National Trust for Nature Conservation) has released an estimated population of critically endangered tigers and snow leopards. And, the tiger population has increased in Chitwan National Park.
According to The Himalayan Times:
It said that there were a total of 121 adult tigers spread over the four protected areas, with the highest number in the Chitwan National Park with 91 tigers. Bardiya National Park, Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and Parsa Wildlife Reserve were estimated to have 18, eight and four tigers respectively. Similarly, the estimated population of snow leopards is 300-400 in the Himalayan region.
The tiger census was conducted from December 2008 - March 2009, using data collected from camera traps and tiger footprints.
The Chitwan National Park tiger census in 2000 determined the population to be around 60 adult tigers.
By Daniel Hohler •
July 26, 2009
July 20th, 2009 was the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic flight to the moon, where astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the moon. 40 years ago, space flight inspired such awe that astronauts were hailed as heroes and celebrities by men, women, and children alike. 40 years later none of us, besides the most avid space fanatic, would likely to be able to name one astronaut in service today.
Despite the tragedies of Space Shuttle Challenger, and later Columbia, where the world is shocked into being reminded of the inherit dangers of sitting on 1 million gallons of rocket fuel, or re-entering the earth’s atmosphere at 1,870 miles per hour. We all see space flight as mundane because the vast majority of space flights since Apollo 11, have been mostly conducting seemingly routine scientific experiments. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe in the importance of science in space, but these experiments don’t exactly inspire awe in the general population like, oh say, a manned mission to Mars would. We also don’t have the fever of beating those damned Ruskies because they might go to space and blow us all up, which we had during the height of the cold war when Apollo 11 touched down on the lunar Sea of Tranquility.
