The State of the World
  Brief Overview of Global Issues


contents


Peace, War & Conflict

Human Rights

Poverty & Development

Environment

 

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Environment

Half of the forests that originally covered 46% of the Earth's land surface are gone. Only one-fifth of the Earth's original forests remain pristine and undisturbed.

Between 10 and 20 percent of all species will be driven to extinction in the next 20 to 50 years. Based on current trends, an estimated 34,000 plant and 5,200 animal species - including one in eight of the world's bird species - face extinction. Almost a quarter of the world's mammal species will face extinction within 30 years. Up to 47% of the world's plant species are at risk of extinction.

60% of the world's coral reefs, which contain up to one-fourth of all marine species, could be lost in the next 20-40 years

Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles and marine mammals are entangled and drowned by irresponsible fishing practices every year.

More than 20 percent of the world's known 10,000 freshwater fish species have become extinct, been threatened, or endangered in recent decades. Sixty percent of the world's important fish stocks are threatened from overfishing.

Desertification and land degradation threaten nearly one-quarter of the land surface of the globe. Over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification, and one billion people are at risk.

Global warming is expected to increase the Earth's temperature by 3C (5.4F) in the next 100 years, resulting in multiple adverse effects on the environment and human society, including widespread species loss, ecosystem damage, flooding of populated human settlements, and increased natural disasters.

An estimated 40-80 million people have been forcibly evicted and displaced from their lands to make way for the construction of large dams, resulting in economic and social devastation for these people.

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