Search
19 results for “bleakfuture”
-
@bleakfuture #2000Fools is one of the stupidest things known to mankind. Don’t hurt your brain too much.
-
Fun #nfl thought exercise for the @nfl crowd… knowing what we know of #Belichick before and after #Brady era #Patriots…
How is NFL history different if #BillBelichick and #AndyReid trade places in 2000. Belichick takes over the McNabb/Vick era Eagles and Reid gets the Brady + That D from the early Patriots dynasty…
Which teams regresses?
Which team gets better?
Is it enough to change championships?
How does history view both legacies? -
I like that we’re flying our #flags at #HalfStaff to honor the #victims of a #MassShooting in the #US. That said, by my count there have been 73 mass shooting #deaths so far this month.
At this rate we’re going to need to just leave them there until it becomes a bit more difficult for #AngryMen to acquire #guns to address their #insecurities.
-
Chinese and US risks mean EU chip sector faces a ‘bleak future,’ report says
By Toby Sterling AMSTERDAM, July 2 (Reuters) – Chinese export controls, dependence on the U.S. for technology and…
#Europe #EU #ASML #chipindustry #dependence #EuropeanUnion #exportcontrols #InstituteforSecurityStudies
https://www.europesays.com/europe/84367/ -
https://www.europesays.com/iran/75707/ Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon spells ‘bleak’ future despite ceasefire, experts say #BenjaminNetanyahu #border #ceasefire #ChristianLebanon #ChristianVillages #debel #Gaza #Hezbollah #Israel #JesusStatue #Khiam #land #Lebanon #Occupation #Rmiech #SouthLebanon #VillagesDestroyedLebanon #YellowLine
-
Notice
Trump's return
A warning to the US
Dire, bleak future ahead
Frum#davidfrum #jimacosta #donaldtrump #cnnpolitics #cinquain #poetry
-
Notice
Trump's return
A warning to the US
Dire, bleak future ahead
Frum#davidfrum #jimacosta #donaldtrump #cnnpolitics #cinquain #poetry
-
Even at this late stage, the combination of such an extreme lack of self-awareness and so much self-pity all wrapped up in a single person is just astonishing.
====
Yarvin seems shocked that Musk (with zero government experience except for a reliance on government contracts) is doing such a poor job. He also seems chagrined at Trump's specific actions, like tariffs, which are throwing markets into chaos. In political terms, the whole thing is a total disaster. By early 2025, millions of Americans are marching in streets and even Republican voters are showing up at town halls to express seething anger.
Yarvin seems to have come to a stark realization: If Musk/Trump fail to destroy the democratic system, extreme anti-government pseudo-intellectuals may face a bleak future. He urgently warns them against half-assing the revolution – and reveals his own fear of what might happen when the pendulum swings in the other direction:
But in the end, it is the road toward winding up in the foam yourself—probably with me, for all my troubles. (This is what usually happens to right-wing intellectuals, actually.)
https://www.thenerdreich.com/curtis-yarvin-fears-his-authoritarian-fantasy-is-flopping/
#Yarvin #CurtisYarvin #NRx #Neoreaction #monarchy #reactionary #fascism #Musk #Trump #USPol
-
Even at this late stage, the combination of such an extreme lack of self-awareness and so much self-pity all wrapped up in a single person is just astonishing.
====
Yarvin seems shocked that Musk (with zero government experience except for a reliance on government contracts) is doing such a poor job. He also seems chagrined at Trump's specific actions, like tariffs, which are throwing markets into chaos. In political terms, the whole thing is a total disaster. By early 2025, millions of Americans are marching in streets and even Republican voters are showing up at town halls to express seething anger.
Yarvin seems to have come to a stark realization: If Musk/Trump fail to destroy the democratic system, extreme anti-government pseudo-intellectuals may face a bleak future. He urgently warns them against half-assing the revolution – and reveals his own fear of what might happen when the pendulum swings in the other direction:
But in the end, it is the road toward winding up in the foam yourself—probably with me, for all my troubles. (This is what usually happens to right-wing intellectuals, actually.)
https://www.thenerdreich.com/curtis-yarvin-fears-his-authoritarian-fantasy-is-flopping/
#Yarvin #CurtisYarvin #NRx #Neoreaction #monarchy #reactionary #fascism #Musk #Trump #USPol
-
Day 38 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea: I only have a few hours to spend in Bangkok before my train to the far south of Thailand departs at 3 p.m. In this precious time visit Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. It is every bit as impressive as the Royal Palace and Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I must say that I am torn between the magnificence of the place (the stupas are covered with countless pieces of uniquely crafted ceramics) and the awareness of the immense economic and political concentration of power that the construction of this temple must have meant. From time to time, I simply try to let myself be carried away by the beauty of the colours and the philosophical meaning of approaching the central stupa... I also try not to think that Bangkok is at the top of the list of capitals at risk of being submerged by sea water within this century. All cities at the confluence of large rivers share this common fate, and the excessive use of aquifers by the expanding population contributes to this bleak future. The colours of the Chao Phraya River blend beautifully with the soft tones of the temple, but it won't be long before these same waters could bring this temple to ruin, unless we stop our mad rush towards fossil fuels, deforestation, and cementification.
#refusetofly #SlowTravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #researcherlife #TheResearcher #ClimateAction #Bangkok #Overnighttrain #StrictlyPublicTransport #AFuoco 52/
-
Day 38 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea: I only have a few hours to spend in Bangkok before my train to the far south of Thailand departs at 3 p.m. In this precious time visit Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. It is every bit as impressive as the Royal Palace and Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I must say that I am torn between the magnificence of the place (the stupas are covered with countless pieces of uniquely crafted ceramics) and the awareness of the immense economic and political concentration of power that the construction of this temple must have meant. From time to time, I simply try to let myself be carried away by the beauty of the colours and the philosophical meaning of approaching the central stupa... I also try not to think that Bangkok is at the top of the list of capitals at risk of being submerged by sea water within this century. All cities at the confluence of large rivers share this common fate, and the excessive use of aquifers by the expanding population contributes to this bleak future. The colours of the Chao Phraya River blend beautifully with the soft tones of the temple, but it won't be long before these same waters could bring this temple to ruin, unless we stop our mad rush towards fossil fuels, deforestation, and cementification.
#refusetofly #SlowTravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #researcherlife #TheResearcher #ClimateAction #Bangkok #Overnighttrain #StrictlyPublicTransport #AFuoco 52/
-
Day 38 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea: I only have a few hours to spend in Bangkok before my train to the far south of Thailand departs at 3 p.m. In this precious time visit Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. It is every bit as impressive as the Royal Palace and Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I must say that I am torn between the magnificence of the place (the stupas are covered with countless pieces of uniquely crafted ceramics) and the awareness of the immense economic and political concentration of power that the construction of this temple must have meant. From time to time, I simply try to let myself be carried away by the beauty of the colours and the philosophical meaning of approaching the central stupa... I also try not to think that Bangkok is at the top of the list of capitals at risk of being submerged by sea water within this century. All cities at the confluence of large rivers share this common fate, and the excessive use of aquifers by the expanding population contributes to this bleak future. The colours of the Chao Phraya River blend beautifully with the soft tones of the temple, but it won't be long before these same waters could bring this temple to ruin, unless we stop our mad rush towards fossil fuels, deforestation, and cementification.
#refusetofly #SlowTravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #researcherlife #TheResearcher #ClimateAction #Bangkok #Overnighttrain #StrictlyPublicTransport #AFuoco 52/
-
Day 38 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea: I only have a few hours to spend in Bangkok before my train to the far south of Thailand departs at 3 p.m. In this precious time visit Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. It is every bit as impressive as the Royal Palace and Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I must say that I am torn between the magnificence of the place (the stupas are covered with countless pieces of uniquely crafted ceramics) and the awareness of the immense economic and political concentration of power that the construction of this temple must have meant. From time to time, I simply try to let myself be carried away by the beauty of the colours and the philosophical meaning of approaching the central stupa... I also try not to think that Bangkok is at the top of the list of capitals at risk of being submerged by sea water within this century. All cities at the confluence of large rivers share this common fate, and the excessive use of aquifers by the expanding population contributes to this bleak future. The colours of the Chao Phraya River blend beautifully with the soft tones of the temple, but it won't be long before these same waters could bring this temple to ruin, unless we stop our mad rush towards fossil fuels, deforestation, and cementification.
#refusetofly #SlowTravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #researcherlife #TheResearcher #ClimateAction #Bangkok #Overnighttrain #StrictlyPublicTransport #AFuoco 52/
-
Day 38 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea: I only have a few hours to spend in Bangkok before my train to the far south of Thailand departs at 3 p.m. In this precious time visit Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. It is every bit as impressive as the Royal Palace and Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I must say that I am torn between the magnificence of the place (the stupas are covered with countless pieces of uniquely crafted ceramics) and the awareness of the immense economic and political concentration of power that the construction of this temple must have meant. From time to time, I simply try to let myself be carried away by the beauty of the colours and the philosophical meaning of approaching the central stupa... I also try not to think that Bangkok is at the top of the list of capitals at risk of being submerged by sea water within this century. All cities at the confluence of large rivers share this common fate, and the excessive use of aquifers by the expanding population contributes to this bleak future. The colours of the Chao Phraya River blend beautifully with the soft tones of the temple, but it won't be long before these same waters could bring this temple to ruin, unless we stop our mad rush towards fossil fuels, deforestation, and cementification.
#refusetofly #SlowTravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #researcherlife #TheResearcher #ClimateAction #Bangkok #Overnighttrain #StrictlyPublicTransport #AFuoco 52/
-
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God”*…
From the piece featured below: “GDP per capita in Madagascar is about the same today as it was in 1950. As a consequence, the number of people in extreme poverty increased in line with the country’s population growth” (image source)It’s easy to feel hope in the advances that the world has made in eraditcating extreme poverty over the last several decades. But as Max Roser writes, unless the poorest economies start growing, this period of progress against the worst form of poverty is over…
In the last decades, the world has made fantastic progress against extreme poverty. In 1990, 2.3 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Since then, the number of extremely poor people has declined by 1.5 billion people.
This means on any average day in the last 35 years, about 115,000 people left extreme poverty behind.1 Leaving the very worst poverty behind doesn’t mean a life free of want, but it does mean a big change. Additional income matters most for those who have the least. It means having the chance to leave hunger behind, to gain access to clean water, to access better healthcare, and to have at least some electricity — for light at night and perhaps even to cook and heat.
Can we expect this rapid progress to continue?
Unfortunately, we cannot. Based on current trends, progress against extreme poverty will come to a halt. As we’ll see, the number of people in extreme poverty is projected to decline, from 831 million people in 2025 to 793 million people in 2030. After 2030, the number of extremely poor people is expected to increase.
To understand why the rapid progress against deep poverty will not continue into the future, we need to know why the world made progress in the past.
Extreme poverty declined in the last three decades because, back in the 1990s, the majority of the poorest people on the planet lived in countries that subsequently achieved very fast economic growth. In Indonesia and China, more than two-thirds of the population lived in extreme poverty. But these economies then grew rapidly, so that by today, the share has declined to less than 10%. Other large Asian countries — including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines — also achieved strong growth, and as a consequence, the share living in extreme poverty declined rapidly. Much of the progress happened in Asia, but conditions in other regions improved too: the share living in extreme poverty also declined in Ghana, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Panama, Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, and many other countries.
This chart shows the economic change in these countries over the past decades. As incomes increased, the share of people in extreme poverty declined.
Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita, 1990 to 2024 (World Bank, Eurostat, OECD, IMF)What is different today is that the majority of the world’s poorest people are stuck in economies that have been stagnating for a long time.Consider the case of Madagascar. In the long run, the country has not seen any growth at all: GDP per capita in Madagascar is about the same today as it was in 1950. As a consequence, the number of people in extreme poverty increased in line with the country’s population growth. In richer countries, it is possible to reduce poverty by reducing inequality through redistribution, but a country like Madagascar cannot reduce its share of people in extreme poverty through redistribution. This is because the mean income is lower than the poverty line; if everyone had the same income, everyone would be living in extreme poverty.
The situation is similar in other countries, as the chart below shows: in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Malawi, Burundi, and the Central African Republic, more than half of the population lives in extreme poverty. As their economies have stagnated, the deep poverty that most people live in has remained largely unchanged for decades.
This is why we have to expect the end of progress against extreme poverty based on current trends. If the poorest economies remain stagnant, hundreds of millions of people will continue to live in extreme poverty.
Share of population living in extreme poverty, 1992-2022 (World Bank)I’m always skeptical when people say that we are at a juncture in history where the future looks much different than the past. But when it comes to the fight against extreme poverty, I fear it is true. Today, the majority of the world’s poorest people are living in economies that have not achieved economic growth in the recent past… Based on current trends, we have to expect the end of progress against extreme poverty…
… It’s no news that we should expect an end to progress against extreme poverty. This article is an update of an article I published in 2019, in which I wrote the same: the fact that the poorest economies are not growing means that the rapid progress against extreme poverty seen in the last decades will end.
Although this prospect has been known for years, it has hardly received the attention it deserves. Progress against extreme poverty was one of humanity’s most outstanding achievements of the past decades — the end of it would be one of the very worst realities of the coming ones.
Importantly, however, these projections are not predictions; their purpose is not to describe what the world in 2030 or 2040 will certainly look like. These projections describe what we have to expect based on current trends; they tell us about our present world rather than the reality of tomorrow. Current trends don’t have to become future facts: many countries left extreme poverty behind in the past, because they had a moment at which they broke out of stagnation.
What these projections tell us, however, is that if the poorest countries do not start to grow, a very bleak future is ahead of us: a future in which extreme poverty remains the reality for hundreds of millions for many years to come…
Eminently worth reading in full– and acting on: “The end of progress against extreme poverty?” from @maxroser.bsky.social and @ourworldindata.org.
* Proverbs 14:31, NIV
###
As we put our shoulders to the wheel, we might spare a thought for a man who contributed mightily to our capacity to feed humanity, Kenneth V. Thimann; he died on this date in 1997. A microbiologist, he was a pioneer in plant physiology (especially the hormones that control the development of plants). Building on the thinking of Frits Went, he identified the first plant hormone to be discovered– the first auxin, a class of growth hormones, and revealed its chemical structure– which proved very important to agriculture and its yields.
#agriculture #auxin #culture #demographics #growthHormones #history #KennethThimann #KennethVThimann #microbiology #OurWorldInData #plantPhysiology #plants #politics #poverty -
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God”*…
From the piece featured below: “GDP per capita in Madagascar is about the same today as it was in 1950. As a consequence, the number of people in extreme poverty increased in line with the country’s population growth” (image source)It’s easy to feel hope in the advances that the world has made in eraditcating extreme poverty over the last several decades. But as Max Roser writes, unless the poorest economies start growing, this period of progress against the worst form of poverty is over…
In the last decades, the world has made fantastic progress against extreme poverty. In 1990, 2.3 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Since then, the number of extremely poor people has declined by 1.5 billion people.
This means on any average day in the last 35 years, about 115,000 people left extreme poverty behind.1 Leaving the very worst poverty behind doesn’t mean a life free of want, but it does mean a big change. Additional income matters most for those who have the least. It means having the chance to leave hunger behind, to gain access to clean water, to access better healthcare, and to have at least some electricity — for light at night and perhaps even to cook and heat.
Can we expect this rapid progress to continue?
Unfortunately, we cannot. Based on current trends, progress against extreme poverty will come to a halt. As we’ll see, the number of people in extreme poverty is projected to decline, from 831 million people in 2025 to 793 million people in 2030. After 2030, the number of extremely poor people is expected to increase.
To understand why the rapid progress against deep poverty will not continue into the future, we need to know why the world made progress in the past.
Extreme poverty declined in the last three decades because, back in the 1990s, the majority of the poorest people on the planet lived in countries that subsequently achieved very fast economic growth. In Indonesia and China, more than two-thirds of the population lived in extreme poverty. But these economies then grew rapidly, so that by today, the share has declined to less than 10%. Other large Asian countries — including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines — also achieved strong growth, and as a consequence, the share living in extreme poverty declined rapidly. Much of the progress happened in Asia, but conditions in other regions improved too: the share living in extreme poverty also declined in Ghana, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Panama, Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, and many other countries.
This chart shows the economic change in these countries over the past decades. As incomes increased, the share of people in extreme poverty declined.
Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita, 1990 to 2024 (World Bank, Eurostat, OECD, IMF)What is different today is that the majority of the world’s poorest people are stuck in economies that have been stagnating for a long time.Consider the case of Madagascar. In the long run, the country has not seen any growth at all: GDP per capita in Madagascar is about the same today as it was in 1950. As a consequence, the number of people in extreme poverty increased in line with the country’s population growth. In richer countries, it is possible to reduce poverty by reducing inequality through redistribution, but a country like Madagascar cannot reduce its share of people in extreme poverty through redistribution. This is because the mean income is lower than the poverty line; if everyone had the same income, everyone would be living in extreme poverty.
The situation is similar in other countries, as the chart below shows: in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Malawi, Burundi, and the Central African Republic, more than half of the population lives in extreme poverty. As their economies have stagnated, the deep poverty that most people live in has remained largely unchanged for decades.
This is why we have to expect the end of progress against extreme poverty based on current trends. If the poorest economies remain stagnant, hundreds of millions of people will continue to live in extreme poverty.
Share of population living in extreme poverty, 1992-2022 (World Bank)I’m always skeptical when people say that we are at a juncture in history where the future looks much different than the past. But when it comes to the fight against extreme poverty, I fear it is true. Today, the majority of the world’s poorest people are living in economies that have not achieved economic growth in the recent past… Based on current trends, we have to expect the end of progress against extreme poverty…
… It’s no news that we should expect an end to progress against extreme poverty. This article is an update of an article I published in 2019, in which I wrote the same: the fact that the poorest economies are not growing means that the rapid progress against extreme poverty seen in the last decades will end.
Although this prospect has been known for years, it has hardly received the attention it deserves. Progress against extreme poverty was one of humanity’s most outstanding achievements of the past decades — the end of it would be one of the very worst realities of the coming ones.
Importantly, however, these projections are not predictions; their purpose is not to describe what the world in 2030 or 2040 will certainly look like. These projections describe what we have to expect based on current trends; they tell us about our present world rather than the reality of tomorrow. Current trends don’t have to become future facts: many countries left extreme poverty behind in the past, because they had a moment at which they broke out of stagnation.
What these projections tell us, however, is that if the poorest countries do not start to grow, a very bleak future is ahead of us: a future in which extreme poverty remains the reality for hundreds of millions for many years to come…
Eminently worth reading in full– and acting on: “The end of progress against extreme poverty?” from @maxroser.bsky.social and @ourworldindata.org.
* Proverbs 14:31, NIV
###
As we put our shoulders to the wheel, we might spare a thought for a man who contributed mightily to our capacity to feed humanity, Kenneth V. Thimann; he died on this date in 1997. A microbiologist, he was a pioneer in plant physiology (especially the hormones that control the development of plants). Building on the thinking of Frits Went, he identified the first plant hormone to be discovered– the first auxin, a class of growth hormones, and revealed its chemical structure– which proved very important to agriculture and its yields.
#agriculture #auxin #culture #demographics #growthHormones #history #KennethThimann #KennethVThimann #microbiology #OurWorldInData #plantPhysiology #plants #politics #poverty -
High time to to put the environment at the heart of people’s lives
In 2018 lots of people had hoped that many politicians all over the world would be willing to put the environment at the heart of people’s lives.
The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (the UN-REDD Programme) which was the first joint UN global initiative on climate change could celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Many observers have suggested that we are witnessing a new mass extinction event (Ceballos et al. 2015), although there is as yet no scientific consensus. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) (Box 6.4) Red List of Threatened Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/) provides the most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant, animal and fungi species. The Red List process has become a massive enterprise involving the IUCN Global Species Program staff, partner organizations and experts in the IUCN Species Survival Commission and partner networks who compile the species information to make The IUCN Red List the indispensable product it is today.
To date, many species groups including mammals, amphibians, birds, reef building corals and conifers have been comprehensively assessed. As well as assessing newly recognized species, the IUCN Red List also re-assesses the status of some existing species, sometimes with positive stories to tell.
More than 27,000 species are threatened with extinction. That is more than 27% of all assessed species. We all should be deeply concerned about ongoing and new threats to the animal species.
The status of vertebrates has been relatively well studied (Rodrigues et al. 2014), but fewer than 1 per cent of described invertebrates (Collen et al. 2012) and only about 5 per cent of vascular plants (Royal Botanical Gardens Kew 2016) have been assessed for extinction risk.
According to IUCN’s latest estimates, cycad species face the greatest risk of extinction with 63 per cent of species in this plant group considered threatened. The most threatened group of vertebrates are amphibians (41 per cent). Of the few invertebrate species assessments completed, 42 per cent of terrestrial, 34 per cent of freshwater and 25 per cent of marine species are considered at risk of extinction (Collen et al. 2012). Among well sampled invertebrate groups, reef-forming corals have the highest proportion (33 per cent) of species under threat.
We all should know the decline should not go on. We can reverse or at least halt, the decline in biodiversity. But this will demand political courage, empathy and respect for all species.
The physical signs and socio-economic impacts of climate change are accelerating as record greenhouse gas concentrations drive global temperatures towards increasingly dangerous levels, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports on atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. The report found that levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to the World Meteorological Organization. There is no sign of a reversal in this trend, which is driving long-term climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and more extreme weather.The most comprehensive and rigorous assessment on the state of the environment completed by the UN in the last five years was published the 19th of March 2019, warning that damage to the planet is so dire that people’s health will be increasingly threatened unless urgent action is taken.
The report, which was produced by 250 scientists and experts from more than 70 countries, says that either we drastically scale up environmental protections, or cities and regions in Asia, the Middle East and Africa could see millions of premature deaths by mid-century. It also warns that pollutants in our freshwater systems will see anti-microbial resistance become a major cause of death by 2050 and endocrine disruptors impact male and female fertility, as well as child neurodevelopment.
But the report highlights the fact that the world has the science, technology and finance it needs to move towards a more sustainable development pathway, although sufficient support is still missing from the public, business and political leaders who are clinging to outdated production and development models.
The sixth Global Environmental Outlook has been released while environmental ministers from around the world are in Nairobi to participate in the world’s highest-level environmental forum. Negotiations at the Fourth UN Environment Assembly are expected to tackle critical issues such as stopping food waste, promoting the spread of electric mobility, and tackling the crisis of plastic pollution in our oceans, among many other pressing challenges.
“The science is clear. The health and prosperity of humanity is directly tied with the state of our environment,”
said Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director of UN Environment.
“This report is an outlook for humanity. We are at a crossroads. Do we continue on our current path, which will lead to a bleak future for humankind, or do we pivot to a more sustainable development pathway? That is the choice our political leaders must make, now.”
Innovative policy options
The projection of a future healthy planet with healthy people is based on a new way of thinking where the ‘grow now, clean up after’ model is changed to a near-zero-waste economy by 2050. According to the Outlook, green investment of 2 per cent of countries’ GDP would deliver long-term growth as high as we presently projected but with fewer impacts from climate change, water scarcity and loss of ecosystems.
At present the world is not on track to meet the SDGs by 2030 or 2050. Urgent action is required now as any delay in climate action increases the cost of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, or reversing our progress and at some point, will make them impossible.
The report advises adopting less-meat intensive diets, and reducing food waste in both developed and developing countries, would reduce the need to increase food production by 50% to feed the projected 9-10 billion people on the planet in 2050. At present, 33 per cent of global edible food is wasted, and 56 per cent of waste happens in industrialized countries, the report states.
While urbanization is happening at an unprecedented level globally, the report says it can present an opportunity to increase citizens’ well-being while decreasing their environmental footprint through improved governance, land-use planning and green infrastructure. Furthermore, strategic investment in rural areas would reduce pressure for people to migrate.
The report calls for action to curb the flow of the 8 million tons of plastic pollution going into oceans each year. While the issue has received increased attention in recent years, there is still no global agreement to tackle marine litter.
The scientists note advancements in collecting environmental statistics, particularly geospatial data, and highlight there is huge potential for advancing knowledge using big data and stronger data collection collaborations between public and private partners.
Policy interventions that address entire systems – such as energy, food, and waste – rather than individual issues, such as water pollution, can be much more effective, according to the authors. For example, a stable climate and clean air are interlinked; the climate mitigation actions for achieving the Paris Agreement targets would cost about US$ 22 trillion, but the combined health benefits from reduced air pollution could amount to an additional US$ 54 trillion.
“The report shows that policies and technologies already exist to fashion new development pathways that will avoid these risks and lead to health and prosperity for all people,”
said Joyeeta Gupta and Paul Ekins, co-chairs of the GEO-6 process.
“What is currently lacking is the political will to implement policies and technologies at a sufficient speed and scale. The fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi in March needs to be the occasion when policymakers face up to the challenges and grasp the opportunities of a much brighter future for humanity.”
Everywhere in the world people should open their eyes and see around them how the climate is changing and how natures is intruding much more our way of life, by offering us more extreme weather types, with storms, floods,a.o..
In the United States of America there are deniers or people who want others to believe all that talk about global warming is fake news. They are not only misleading their own folks, they are endangering them too. In name of industrialisation and capital growth certain leaders mislead their people and do everything to give more opportunities to earn more money no matter what the impact on the environment may be. They are not interested in the world around them and certainly not interested in animal life and wellness for plants.
But we as creatures should know we are only placed into this world to use it as ‘tenants’, which demands from us to take care of it, with the knowledge that it does not belong to us personally.Each of us personally has to take their own responsibility and should be aware of the urgency for changing route in this world. All of us should take up the responsibility to safe or to repair this world for the next generations.
°°°
++
°°°
+
Preceding
Going for sustainable development
Shifting towards a cleaner economy
++
Find also to read
- How to make sustainable, green habits second nature
- Vatican meeting of mayors talking about global warming, human trafficking and modern-day slavery
- Republican member of Congress from Arizona to boycott pope’s address over climate change
- Building a low-carbon world: the sixth industrial revolution
- UK Politicians willing to tear up decades of environmental protections
- Air-conditioning threat and HFCs extremely powerful heat-trappers
- Ghosts of the mountains endangered big cat
- Africa’s human existence and development under threat from the adverse impacts of climate change
+++
Related
- Media failing on #climatechange – here’s how they can do better | The Guardian #Auspol #AusVotes2019 #ClimateElection #ClimateEmergency #StopAdani #ClimateStrike #ExtinctionRebellion #GreenNewDeal
- Climate Change: Earth Losing 50,000 Square Miles Tropical Rain Forest Annually
- Climate Change Emergency Declared But Where is the Response ?
- Carbon Markets
- Zambia’s growth is projected to slow from 3.7 percent in 2018 to 2.3 percent in 2019 – IMF report
- Study: Climate Change Friendly Air Conditioners Could Convert CO2 to Petroleum
- Photos for Fodder
- “Caring for Creation” – “Don’t believe me without researching the facts for yourself.”
- Summer extremes of 2018 linked to stalled giant waves in jet stream
- Climate change forced these Fijian communities to move – and with 80 more at risk, here’s what they learned
- Figures
- Facebook’s newest so-called ‘fact checkers’ are climate deniers paid by the Koch corporation
Rate this:
#2018 #2019 #2030 #2030AgendaForSustainableDevelopment #2050 #Africa #AmphibianS_ #Asia #CleanAir #ClimateChange #CycadS_ #EcologicalFootprint #Environment #EnvironmentalFootprint #EnvironmentalForum #EnvironmentalProtection #FoodWaste #GlobalEnvironmentalOutlookGEO_ #GlobalInitiativeOnClimateChange #GlobalTemperature #GreenhouseGas #GreenhouseGasGHGEmissions #Health #HighLevelWaste #Humankind #Industrialisation #InternationalUnionForTheConservationOfNatureSIUCN_ #InvertebrateSpecies #JoyceMsuya #JoyeetaGupta #MarineLitter #MiddleEast #Nairobi #NearZeroWasteEconomy #ParisAgreementOnClimateChange #PaulEkins #PlasticPollution #RedListOfThreatenedSpecies #ReefFormingCoral #SpeciesThreatenedWithExtinction #Tenant #UNEnvironmentAssembly #UnitedNationsCollaborativeProgrammeOnReducingEmissionsFromDeforestationAndForestDegradationUNREDDProgramme_ #Urbanization #VascularPlants #Waste #WaterScarcity #WayOfThinking #WellBeingOfPopulation #WorldMeteorologicalOrganizationWMO_
-
High time to to put the environment at the heart of people’s lives
In 2018 lots of people had hoped that many politicians all over the world would be willing to put the environment at the heart of people’s lives.
The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (the UN-REDD Programme) which was the first joint UN global initiative on climate change could celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Many observers have suggested that we are witnessing a new mass extinction event (Ceballos et al. 2015), although there is as yet no scientific consensus. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) (Box 6.4) Red List of Threatened Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/) provides the most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant, animal and fungi species. The Red List process has become a massive enterprise involving the IUCN Global Species Program staff, partner organizations and experts in the IUCN Species Survival Commission and partner networks who compile the species information to make The IUCN Red List the indispensable product it is today.
To date, many species groups including mammals, amphibians, birds, reef building corals and conifers have been comprehensively assessed. As well as assessing newly recognized species, the IUCN Red List also re-assesses the status of some existing species, sometimes with positive stories to tell.
More than 27,000 species are threatened with extinction. That is more than 27% of all assessed species. We all should be deeply concerned about ongoing and new threats to the animal species.
The status of vertebrates has been relatively well studied (Rodrigues et al. 2014), but fewer than 1 per cent of described invertebrates (Collen et al. 2012) and only about 5 per cent of vascular plants (Royal Botanical Gardens Kew 2016) have been assessed for extinction risk.
According to IUCN’s latest estimates, cycad species face the greatest risk of extinction with 63 per cent of species in this plant group considered threatened. The most threatened group of vertebrates are amphibians (41 per cent). Of the few invertebrate species assessments completed, 42 per cent of terrestrial, 34 per cent of freshwater and 25 per cent of marine species are considered at risk of extinction (Collen et al. 2012). Among well sampled invertebrate groups, reef-forming corals have the highest proportion (33 per cent) of species under threat.
We all should know the decline should not go on. We can reverse or at least halt, the decline in biodiversity. But this will demand political courage, empathy and respect for all species.
The physical signs and socio-economic impacts of climate change are accelerating as record greenhouse gas concentrations drive global temperatures towards increasingly dangerous levels, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports on atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. The report found that levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to the World Meteorological Organization. There is no sign of a reversal in this trend, which is driving long-term climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and more extreme weather.The most comprehensive and rigorous assessment on the state of the environment completed by the UN in the last five years was published the 19th of March 2019, warning that damage to the planet is so dire that people’s health will be increasingly threatened unless urgent action is taken.
The report, which was produced by 250 scientists and experts from more than 70 countries, says that either we drastically scale up environmental protections, or cities and regions in Asia, the Middle East and Africa could see millions of premature deaths by mid-century. It also warns that pollutants in our freshwater systems will see anti-microbial resistance become a major cause of death by 2050 and endocrine disruptors impact male and female fertility, as well as child neurodevelopment.
But the report highlights the fact that the world has the science, technology and finance it needs to move towards a more sustainable development pathway, although sufficient support is still missing from the public, business and political leaders who are clinging to outdated production and development models.
The sixth Global Environmental Outlook has been released while environmental ministers from around the world are in Nairobi to participate in the world’s highest-level environmental forum. Negotiations at the Fourth UN Environment Assembly are expected to tackle critical issues such as stopping food waste, promoting the spread of electric mobility, and tackling the crisis of plastic pollution in our oceans, among many other pressing challenges.
“The science is clear. The health and prosperity of humanity is directly tied with the state of our environment,”
said Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director of UN Environment.
“This report is an outlook for humanity. We are at a crossroads. Do we continue on our current path, which will lead to a bleak future for humankind, or do we pivot to a more sustainable development pathway? That is the choice our political leaders must make, now.”
Innovative policy options
The projection of a future healthy planet with healthy people is based on a new way of thinking where the ‘grow now, clean up after’ model is changed to a near-zero-waste economy by 2050. According to the Outlook, green investment of 2 per cent of countries’ GDP would deliver long-term growth as high as we presently projected but with fewer impacts from climate change, water scarcity and loss of ecosystems.
At present the world is not on track to meet the SDGs by 2030 or 2050. Urgent action is required now as any delay in climate action increases the cost of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, or reversing our progress and at some point, will make them impossible.
The report advises adopting less-meat intensive diets, and reducing food waste in both developed and developing countries, would reduce the need to increase food production by 50% to feed the projected 9-10 billion people on the planet in 2050. At present, 33 per cent of global edible food is wasted, and 56 per cent of waste happens in industrialized countries, the report states.
While urbanization is happening at an unprecedented level globally, the report says it can present an opportunity to increase citizens’ well-being while decreasing their environmental footprint through improved governance, land-use planning and green infrastructure. Furthermore, strategic investment in rural areas would reduce pressure for people to migrate.
The report calls for action to curb the flow of the 8 million tons of plastic pollution going into oceans each year. While the issue has received increased attention in recent years, there is still no global agreement to tackle marine litter.
The scientists note advancements in collecting environmental statistics, particularly geospatial data, and highlight there is huge potential for advancing knowledge using big data and stronger data collection collaborations between public and private partners.
Policy interventions that address entire systems – such as energy, food, and waste – rather than individual issues, such as water pollution, can be much more effective, according to the authors. For example, a stable climate and clean air are interlinked; the climate mitigation actions for achieving the Paris Agreement targets would cost about US$ 22 trillion, but the combined health benefits from reduced air pollution could amount to an additional US$ 54 trillion.
“The report shows that policies and technologies already exist to fashion new development pathways that will avoid these risks and lead to health and prosperity for all people,”
said Joyeeta Gupta and Paul Ekins, co-chairs of the GEO-6 process.
“What is currently lacking is the political will to implement policies and technologies at a sufficient speed and scale. The fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi in March needs to be the occasion when policymakers face up to the challenges and grasp the opportunities of a much brighter future for humanity.”
Everywhere in the world people should open their eyes and see around them how the climate is changing and how natures is intruding much more our way of life, by offering us more extreme weather types, with storms, floods,a.o..
In the United States of America there are deniers or people who want others to believe all that talk about global warming is fake news. They are not only misleading their own folks, they are endangering them too. In name of industrialisation and capital growth certain leaders mislead their people and do everything to give more opportunities to earn more money no matter what the impact on the environment may be. They are not interested in the world around them and certainly not interested in animal life and wellness for plants.
But we as creatures should know we are only placed into this world to use it as ‘tenants’, which demands from us to take care of it, with the knowledge that it does not belong to us personally.Each of us personally has to take their own responsibility and should be aware of the urgency for changing route in this world. All of us should take up the responsibility to safe or to repair this world for the next generations.
°°°
++
°°°
+
Preceding
Going for sustainable development
Shifting towards a cleaner economy
++
Find also to read
- How to make sustainable, green habits second nature
- Vatican meeting of mayors talking about global warming, human trafficking and modern-day slavery
- Republican member of Congress from Arizona to boycott pope’s address over climate change
- Building a low-carbon world: the sixth industrial revolution
- UK Politicians willing to tear up decades of environmental protections
- Air-conditioning threat and HFCs extremely powerful heat-trappers
- Ghosts of the mountains endangered big cat
- Africa’s human existence and development under threat from the adverse impacts of climate change
+++
Related
- Media failing on #climatechange – here’s how they can do better | The Guardian #Auspol #AusVotes2019 #ClimateElection #ClimateEmergency #StopAdani #ClimateStrike #ExtinctionRebellion #GreenNewDeal
- Climate Change: Earth Losing 50,000 Square Miles Tropical Rain Forest Annually
- Climate Change Emergency Declared But Where is the Response ?
- Carbon Markets
- Zambia’s growth is projected to slow from 3.7 percent in 2018 to 2.3 percent in 2019 – IMF report
- Study: Climate Change Friendly Air Conditioners Could Convert CO2 to Petroleum
- Photos for Fodder
- “Caring for Creation” – “Don’t believe me without researching the facts for yourself.”
- Summer extremes of 2018 linked to stalled giant waves in jet stream
- Climate change forced these Fijian communities to move – and with 80 more at risk, here’s what they learned
- Figures
- Facebook’s newest so-called ‘fact checkers’ are climate deniers paid by the Koch corporation
Rate this:
#2018 #2019 #2030 #2030AgendaForSustainableDevelopment #2050 #Africa #AmphibianS_ #Asia #CleanAir #ClimateChange #CycadS_ #EcologicalFootprint #Environment #EnvironmentalFootprint #EnvironmentalForum #EnvironmentalProtection #FoodWaste #GlobalEnvironmentalOutlookGEO_ #GlobalInitiativeOnClimateChange #GlobalTemperature #GreenhouseGas #GreenhouseGasGHGEmissions #Health #HighLevelWaste #Humankind #Industrialisation #InternationalUnionForTheConservationOfNatureSIUCN_ #InvertebrateSpecies #JoyceMsuya #JoyeetaGupta #MarineLitter #MiddleEast #Nairobi #NearZeroWasteEconomy #ParisAgreementOnClimateChange #PaulEkins #PlasticPollution #RedListOfThreatenedSpecies #ReefFormingCoral #SpeciesThreatenedWithExtinction #Tenant #UNEnvironmentAssembly #UnitedNationsCollaborativeProgrammeOnReducingEmissionsFromDeforestationAndForestDegradationUNREDDProgramme_ #Urbanization #VascularPlants #Waste #WaterScarcity #WayOfThinking #WellBeingOfPopulation #WorldMeteorologicalOrganizationWMO_