STANFORD, Calif. – The
evidence is overwhelming: Humanity is pushing humanity's life-support systems
rapidly toward a tipping point that will likely imperil society's well-being.
A statement released May
23rd and signed by more than 500 scientists from 44 countries who study the
interactions of people with our planet is unequivocal: "Based on the best
scientific information available, human quality of life will suffer substantial
degradation by the year 2050 if we continue on our current path."
They point out that science unequivocally demonstrates that one issue of key concern is climate disruption – more, faster climate change than since modern human beings first evolved. Agriculture and civilization developed in a period of unusually benign and stable climate, and there is every sign that the climate system is being kicked into a new and perilous state.
Their other major
concerns:
- Extinctions – Not since the dinosaurs were exterminated have so many species and populations died out so fast, both on land and in the oceans.
- Wholesale loss of diverse ecosystems – We have plowed under, paved over, or otherwise transformed more than 40 percent of Earth's ice-free land, and no place on land or in the sea is free of direct or indirect human influences.
- Toxic pollution – Environmental contaminants in the air, water and land are at record levels and increasing, seriously harming people and wildlife in unforeseen ways. Of special concern are the novel chemicals humanity spreads from pole-to-pole that mimic hormones and may derange animal development
- Human population growth and consumption patterns – Seven billion people alive today will likely grow to 9.5 billion by 2050 unless disaster intervenes, and the pressures of heavy material consumption among the middle class and wealthy may well intensify.
I helped write the statement
and signed it because I'm worried. And I'm not alone in my worries. "By
the time today's children reach middle age," the scientists warn, "it
is extremely likely that Earth's life-support systems, critical for human
prosperity and existence, will be irretrievably damaged by the magnitude,
global extent, and combination of these human-caused environmental stressors,
unless we take concrete, immediate actions to ensure a sustainable,
high-quality future."
The scientists are led
by professors Anthony Barnofsky of the University of California, Berkeley, and
Elizabeth Hadly of Stanford University. "We are sounding this alarm to the
world," they concluded.
"For humanity's
continued health and prosperity, we all – individuals, businesses, political
leaders, religious leaders, scientists, and people in every walk of life – must
work hard to solve these five global problems, starting today."
You can read our full
report on the Web here. And if you agree, you can endorse its
conclusions.
Paul Ehrlich is the president of the Center for Conservation Biology and the Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford University.
