EQUITABLE

Whereas the population of our planet with triplet since 1925, the damage which we inflict with our environment makes increasingly obvious. Drying up of the rivers, clouds of dust, turning into a desert and salinisation of the grounds are only some symptoms of the stress which we make weigh on our natural environment.
Whereas our planet counted only 2 billion in 1925, it counts some today more than 6 billion. For the demographers, this growth should continue in the years to come. They indeed often estimate that we will be nearly 9 billion in 2050.

This demographic explosion would not be alarming if we do not consume the resources of our planet more quickly than they are not formed. One would thus need the equivalent of 3 planets so that French can live durably like it does it today. A moderate need compared with the 6,8 planets which it would be necessary American.

The overconsumption of the countries of North is thus added with the food pressure in the countries with the South to contribute to a premature exhaustion of the grounds and natural resources. The effects of our last actions start to be felt on the various elements of our environment. Our water, our air and our grounds are from now on modified in alarming proportions.

The awakening is moving. According to a survey TNS recent Sofres, the French would be anxious for planet! Indeed, when one asks them what they think of the future of planet and the environment, more than eight French out of ten (83%) declare themselves anxious and 24% even “very anxious”. Only 16% are said trustful. They are the women, the elderly of 25-34 years (young parents), the higher socioprofessional categories (CSP+), most graduate, the inhabitants of Aquitaine, the Midday-Pyrenees, High and Lower Normandy and the Limousin who seem most anxious.

Subject of fear and concern, the various environmental stakes do not touch in the same way. The climate changes arrive at the head of the risks perceived like most worrying for the future of the planet (42% of the answers). If the water pollution arrives in second position (38%), air pollution (32%) the disappearance of the forests (25%) and the disappearance of the species (19%), are quoted in priority, in front of the natural disasters (15%).
If the higher categories appear particularly sensitive to the durable risks, in fact the popular categories seem more worry about the economic crises (appearance of new grave diseases, natural disasters).

Without wanting to be alarmist with excess, we draw up Ci after the portrait of the planet on which we live and who, if we do not react quickly, risk to find itself quickly in a dirty state!

Increase in the rate of CO2 at a speed without precedent in the history of the Earth

The CO2 emissions passed from 1,7 billion tons in 1950, with more than 18 billion tons in 2000. Although part of this CO2 is absorbed and recycled by the ecosystem (in particular thanks to the forests and with the oceans), the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere increased by 20% since 1950, and 40% since the beginning of the industrial revolution. From here the end of the 21è century, if nothing is done to limit the CO2 emissions, the CO2 rate could have increased by 250% compared to 1950, involving a rise of the total temperature of 10°, which would have catastrophic effects for survival of humanity. If the emissions are severely reduced, the CO2 concentration could increase “only” by 160%, with a rise of the temperatures from “only” 5 or 6 degrees.

These forecasts take account of the passage at the consumer society of the emergent countries like China, India, or Brazil. These 3 countries alone count today 2,5 billion inhabitants who gradually adopt the lifestyle polluting of the industrialized countries.

One currently notes an increase accelerated in the CO2 rate in the atmosphere, because of the increase in the emissions, but also because of a beginning of loss the absorption of CO2 by the “wells” to carbon dioxide which are the oceans and the forests. The capacity for absorption of the oceans is indeed limited, and the forests are destroyed at intervals accelerated by the forestry development and the extension of the arable lands.

Total warming of planet because of the greenhouse effect created by CO2, as by the methane (of which a part is produced by the bovine breedings)

The acceleration of climate warming is an obviousness today that the propaganda of the industrial lobbies cannot deny any more. On a world level, all confused areas, 2003 was the third hottest year in annals, the 2 other records being… 1998 and 2002.

Storms and floods plus devastators, but also, dryness and turning into a desert

The natural disasters are increasingly numerous. Climate warming increases the evaporation of the oceans, therefore the dimension of the cloudy formations, and thus the number and the destroying power of the storms, the storms, the cyclones, and the floods. On a world level, the number of disasters of great width declared with the insurances passed from 60 in 1970 to 90 in 1980, and to 210 in 2000. For the only year 2004,6 major cyclones struck the Caribbean and the South of the United States, making more than 2.000 died, and causing damage evaluated to 50 billion dollars for Florida (either 20 times the cost of the damage caused by the attacks of September 11 in New York).

In same time, the warming accentuates the dryness and the turning into a desert. Example: the south of Spain could become a desert semi zone from here 2050. Already, the ground water is there in process of exhaustion.

According to UNO, the natural disasters touch more and more people in the world, because of the climate changes but also because of an uncontrolled urbanization in many countries, which increases the risks of flood or mud, landslide flow. In 2003,254 million people were touched to differing degree by phenomena such as floods, dryness, earthquakes or hurricanes.

Cast iron of the polar ice-barrier and the glaciers

The climatologists estimate that at the end of the century, there will be no more ice with the north pole during the summer. The Arctic narrowed already of a million square kilometers during the twenty last years, and loses 3 to 4% of its surface each year.
The disappearance of the glaciers, water reserves soft of the continents, could cause water shortages for the human and agricultural needs. Without the regulating role of the glaciers on the level of the rivers, certain rivers could be dry during the summer, especially if this one becomes increasingly hot.

Rise in the level of the oceans, accelerated erosion of the coasts

It is still difficult to estimate the increase in the level of the oceans in the event of cast iron of the poles. With climate warming dilation is added with water due to the warming of the oceans. But already, on all the continents, the ocean gains ground, the ranges move back, and the coastal floods are increasingly frequent.

Modification of the marine currents because of the warming and the cast iron of the poles

Increase in the frequency of the cyclones because of the phenomenon “El Niño” (modification of the exchanges enter the surface water and the deep water the ocean)
Risk more cold winters in Europe because of the attenuation of the Gulf Stream. Without the heating influence of the Gulf Stream, Western Europe knows the same winter temperatures as Canada.

Hole in the layer of ozone, increase in the ultraviolet radiations

Thanks to the international measures adopted in the years 1990, ozone is reconstituting itself. It is about the only field in which significant actions were decided, with a planetary prohibition of CFC, the industrial gases which were responsible for the destruction of ozone.

Oceans and rivers
Pollution of the oceans and the coastal oceanic plains (where the essence of fauna and the marine flora concentrates) by the marrées black ones, wild degasifications, the radioactive waste, and waste water rejections by the coastal towns.

Pollution by hydrocarbons is of 6 ton million per annum, of which 2,5% due to are marrées black, and 97,5 with degasifications at sea of the tankers

Disappearance of fish (- 90% in the North Atlantic) because of the pollution and the methods of industrial fishing (taking away exceeding the reproduction of the species, degradation of sea-beds, not-consumable fish destruction which constitutes the food of other species)

Disease of the corals caused by the warming of the oceans or pollution. The death of the corals would involve the disappearance of many fish species which find there a habitat and a source of food.
 
Pollution of the rivers, the rivers, and the ground water by the industrial wastes and the pesticides, in particular the PCB (polychlorobiphényles) which reduce the animal and human fertility. In France, 90% of the sources of water are polluted by pesticides.

Rainwater become not-drinkable in certain areas industrialized, and acid rains causing the deterioration or the death of the trees.

Disappearance of the forests, because of the forestry development, agricultural, or mining.
The human activities generate an increase in the CO2 rate, and simultaneously, we destroy the forests which precisely contribute to eliminate CO2 (by fixing carbon in the form of wood).

Today, the tropical forests cover nothing any more but 2% of the surface of the Earth. In only 40 years, between 1950 and 1990, the surface of the virgin forests was reduced of 350 million hectares, with the destruction of 18% from the African forest, 30% of the forests of Asia and Oceania, and 18% of the forests of Latin America. And the rate/rhythm of destruction accelerates. Currently, 3 million hectares is destroyed each year.

With the forests, many animal species and vegetable disappear definitively. 50.000 species thus disappeared in 10 years, between 1990 and 2000.

The disappearance of the forests also accentuates the turning into a desert. Two thirds of Africa are from now on arid regions.
Collapse of the biodiversity.

According to the forecasts, 25% of the species which existed at the beginning of the 20th century will have disappeared from here 2025. One can thus say that a massive extinction is taking place on Earth. The preceding extinction of mass was caused by the fall of an asteroid and had caused the disappearance of the dinosaurs. The cause of this new extinction of mass is the man, with his cupidity and its blindness.

Disappearance of the insects pollenisateurs, and thus in the long term, of the trees and plants with flowers

Disappearance of the butterflies and thus of the larvae and the caterpillars, essential to many species of birds to nourish their small.

Dissemination of GMO (uncontrolled gene transmission modified with the natural species)

Others.
In-depth pollution of the grounds Falls of the unit weight of the earth in micro-organisms

Impoverishment of the grounds because of the intensive agriculture

Propagation of the tropical viruses at the zones moderated because of climate warming

Appearance of new viruses (SARS, Ebola…) Antibodies of Gaïa to get rid of the human ones?

Displacement of the magnetic pole and terrestrial attenuation of the magnetic fields. However it is this magnetic field which protects the terrestrial life from harmful radiations coming from the sun (gamma rays). This field also protects us from the destroying magnetic storms which the planets deprived of magnetic field undergo.

Increase in the volcanic activity and the frequency of the earthquakes a manifestation of the distress of “Gaïa” perceiving the destruction of the biosphere?
Source: The state of planet.