Environment

As we begin a new millennium, human impacts on the environment are becoming both more apparent and more widespread.

Almost 40 percent of the earth's land surface has been converted to cropland or permanent pasture and half the planet's tropical forests have been destroyed or degraded.

The planet's protective ozone layer has been badly damaged, while record-high carbon emissions cause smog and acid rain, and contribute to global warming and climate change.

An estimated three unique plant, animal or other species go extinct every hour.

All of these environmental impacts result from the needs and desires of our growing population and the models of production and consumption we use to try to meet those needs and desires.

Much of the damage to the environment is a result of over-consumption of resources and generation of wastes by wealthy nations and individuals.

Some of the damage is a result of scarcity and poverty that force poor nations and individuals to make environmentally unsound decisions to survive.

All of these impacts pose a threat to human health, security, and livelihoods

We could protect the environment by creating conditions that allow all people to make environmentally appropriate decisions – about family size, livelihood, and consumption patterns.

This means addressing the economic and social inequalities that often force people to have large families and to damage the environment just to survive.

It also means eliminating economic and social policies that promote over-consumption and unsustainable production models

One important way to protect and restore the environment is to shift taxes onto things we don't want – pollution, resource depletion and excess consumption – and away from things we do want, such as income and investment.

Another is to develop and implement renewable, non-polluting energy systems, including solar and hydrogen fuel technologies.

Another is to develop and implement efficient production processes and technologies that reuse and recycle virtually all materials.

These efforts would enhance the health of families, communities and ecosystems, and create a strong, sustainable economy in the process.