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The necessary revolution : How individuals and organizations are working together to create a sustainable world
The world is in horrible, dangerous shape. The existence of life depends on ?clean water, breathable air, fertile soil, pollination and a stable climate.? These essentials are under severe attack. Wetlands, grasslands and forests are vanishing. Half of the world?s major rivers are polluted or depleted. Each year, environmental degradation forces 50 million poor people to leave their villages and migrate to cities. As a result, half a billion people live in horrifi c slums or squatter camps. Such people live bereft of social harmony, a situation sure to result in upheaval. But the worst of the story is that the world is getting notably hotter. Global climate change, caused by the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and other greenhouse gases, is a hugely disturbing fact, not a theory. A dangerous side effect of the Industrial Age, global climate change is the most serious looming planetary catastrophe, an insidious nightmare. As fossil fuels deposit excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the gas causes widespread, continuous heating and damage. For instance, as the oceans absorb CO2 , the water?s acidity increases, destroying coral reefs critical to marine life. Rising levels of greenhouse gases and CO2 in the atmosphere eventually will ?trigger ?runaway? effects,? causing more warming. It will take 30 to 50 years before scientists are even able to register the overall impact of current atmospheric CO2 levels. Once the world reaches that tipping point, global warming feedback will begin to occur. At that stage, humans may fi nd it impossible to shape the future in any signifi cant way. Scientists estimate that, to make a difference, humanity must enforce a 60% to 80% emissions reduction within the next two decades ? that?s part of the ?80/20 Challenge.? If it doesn?t happen, people may soon face global catastrophe. Not scared enough? Consider these grim facts and statistics: ? The ?Asian Brown Cloud,? an airborne sheet of industrial particles ?has been blamed? for half a million deaths of respiratory illness each year just in India. ?The human community has caused a lot of harm to the planet, and things need to change. Doing nothing is no longer an option.? ?The time for shifting responsibility to others, or covering up deep problems with simplistic solutions that only make problems ?go away? for a short time, is running out.? The Necessary Revolution ? Copyright 2009 getAbstract 3 of 5 ? The developing world dumps 70% of its industrial waste directly into ?rivers, lakes, oceans or soil.? ? The atmosphere can safely absorb about three billions tons of CO2 annually, but people emit about eight billion tons yearly by burning fossil fuels. ? In the U.K., CO2 emissions rose from almost zero to a million tons annually by the end of the 19th century. By the end of the 20th century, U.S. emissions totaled nearly two billion tons of CO2 annually ? approximately seven tons per person. ? About 90% of used commercial electronics, including computers, PDAs, TVs and audio recorders, end up in landfi lls. ? People retire 20 to 30 million vehicles a year. In developing nations, most of these trashed cars and trucks go into landfi lls. ? The U.S. buries more than 90% of its plastic wastes in landfi lls each year. ? The world is running out of nonrenewable resources, such as oil, copper and zinc. Coal is in strong supply, but it is a major source of air pollution (the U.S.?s biggest source). ? One out of fi ve people lacks access to clean drinking water. ? Groundwater, lakes and rivers are becoming increasingly polluted. ? During the past 50 years, agricultural overproduction has degraded more than 2.5 billion acres of topsoil, an area larger than China and India combined. ? During this time, the globe lost more than 30% of its forests, drastically reducing how much CO2 it can absorb. ? Overfi shing may soon kill off numerous fi sh species, ruining many coastal economies that depend on fi shing for commerce and food.
Ketersediaan
| Call Number | Location | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Tan 338. 927 Sen n | PSB lt.dasar - Pascasarjana | 3 |
| Penerbit | New York Doubleday., 2008 |
|---|---|
| Edisi | - |
| Subjek | Environmental aspects Industries Sustainable development Social responsibility of business |
| ISBN/ISSN | - |
| Klasifikasi | - |
| Deskripsi Fisik | - |
| Info Detail Spesifik | - |
| Other Version/Related | Tidak tersedia versi lain |
| Lampiran Berkas | Tidak Ada Data |