GLOBAL ISSUESOR

WASTE-SIDE STORIES

BY SNEJ

HUNGER AND POVERTY FACTS•The world is facing a hunger crisis unlike anything it has seen in more than 50 years.•More than 1 billion people are hungry.•Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes.•That's one child every five seconds.•There were 2 billion people in extreme poverty in 2010.•The World Bank estimates that the spike in global food prices in 2008, followed by the global economic recession in 2009 and 2010 has pushed between 100-150 million people into poverty.•In 2008, nearly 9 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. One third of these deaths are due directly or indirectly to hunger and malnutrition•Around the world, 178 million children under 5 are stunted, low height for age. Of all stunted children, 90 percent live in just 36 countries, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Central Asia

98% of the world's undernourished people live in developing countries.Two-thirds of the world's hungry live in just 7 countries: Bangladesh, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.2

Where is hunger the worst?Asia and the Pacific: 678 millionSub-Saharan Africa: 389 millionLatin America and the Caribbean: 53 millionNear East and North Africa: 37 millionDeveloped countries: 19 million

60 percent of the world's hungry are women.1 out of 6 infants are born with a low birth weight in developing countries.Malnutrition is the key factor contributing to more than one-third of all global child deaths resulting in 2.6 million deaths per year.Rural areas account for three out of every four people living on less than $1.25 a day.

•Water scarcity is defined as less than 1,000 cu.m of water available per person per year, while water stress means less than 1,500 cu.m of water is available per person per year. •More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world.•Lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children at a rate equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing every four hours.•An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day.•More people have a mobile phone than a toilet.

FRESH WATER SHORTAGE Fresh water is the most fundamental of finite resources. It has

no substitutes for most usages and is expensive to transport. The distribution of water around the globe. Asia has more than 60 per cent of the world population but only 36 per cent of river runoff. South America has 6 per cent of the river runoff. Canada has more than 30 times as much water available to each of citizens of China.

More than 60% of the fresh water is used for irrigating crops. Egypt which must irrigate all its crops, uses more than five times as much water per capita as Switzerland. In Asia which has two thirds of the world’s arable land 85 per cent of water goes for irrigation.

If population growth continue many regions - China, Africa, India and Near East will be facing significant water shortages within next 20 years.

2 billion people in the world haven’t access to fresh water in their houses, but in UK the average person use is 150 liters per day. The highest average water use is in USA at 650 liters per day.

“The Youngest Desert in the World is Where the Aral Sea Used to Be”

•The fourth biggest lake in the world, Aral Sea has dried up by 90 percent in the last 50 years and left behind a desert.•Aral Sea has started to dry up since 1960s after banks of Amu Dar'ya and Syr Dar'ya rivers, which used to flow into this lake, were diverted towards cotton fields.•This caused Aral Sea to shrink by 90 percent. The area of the lake is today 12,100 square meters, its water volume is 110 cubic kilometers, and its deepest point is 24 meters.•However, these figures were respectively 68,900 square meters, 1,083 cubic kilometers, and 68 meters in 1960.•In the end, Aralkum, the youngest desert of the world, has emerged. Almost 100 million tons of salty sand caused an environmental disaster, caused several diseases, and increased baby mortality in the area.•The environmental disaster hampered agriculture and fishery, and regional people had to migrate.

Waste-sidestory

Waste-side story

WATER WARS

Former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali famously predicted 25 years ago that the “next war in the Middle East will be fought over water.” While that has yet to come to pass, the greatest present danger stems from failing nation-states—and not just in the dry Middle East.

The author Mark Twain once remarked that "whisky is for drinking; water is for fighting over" and a series of reports from intelligence agencies and research groups indicate the prospect of a water war is becoming increasingly likely. 

WATER WARS – MIDDLE EASTThe area of the Jordan River Basin, including

parts of Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank, is primarily an arid region. The river originates in Lebanon and has a total average flow of 1,200 million cubic meters per year. This river system consists of the Jordan and Yarmuk River, which flows from Syria. With the arid climate and low precipitation in this region, water has become the most valuable resource. The Israeli-occupied West Bank uses the smallest amount. The daily amount of water per person in the Jordan River Basin is the lowest in the world. Without the existence of a legitimate water sharing agreement, the countries of Syria and Israel have taken over the water supplies. The Mountain Aquifer underneath the West Bank is a point of contention between Israelis and Palestinians. Issues include the domination of groundwater supplies by the Israeli state and settlers, and the walling off of Palestinian access to water supplies.

Middle East conflicts are usually tied in the media to religion or oil, but water has become a major factor in recent disputes.

WATER WARS – MIDDLE EASTThe Tigris-Euphrates Basin

The scarcity of water supplies in the river basin of ancient Mesopotamia has long fed disagreement among neighboring nations. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers originate in Turkey, and their watershed covers a much larger area than the Jordan River basin. The river system is shared by several countries and ethnic groups who regularly disagree on water issues. The Tigris and Euphrates are especially important to Syria and Iraq. Dams along the rivers installed by Turkey have prevented some of the water from flowing downstream to these warmer, drier countries. Turkey’s plans to utilize its portion of the Euphrates have affected the share going to Syria for irrigation purposes. Among all three countries, the water supply conflict is equated with their national security.

Middle East conflicts are usually tied in the media to religion or oil, but water has become a major factor in recent disputes.

WATER WARS - AFRICAIn many parts of Africa, water shortages are a part of everyday life. The Nile River for centuries has been the source of sustaining human life in Egypt and Sudan. The Nile’s tributaries, lakes, and rivers collect and disperse water in nine African countries before it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. The Egyptians have used military force to ensure their control over the headwaters of the Nile, because the country has no other water source. Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda have constructed various river projects to increase their annual water withdrawals, affecting Egyptian control over the Nile. Conflicts rage from the privatization of the water resources to the many people displaced by dams along the rivers, and the unequal distribution of water supplies amongst neighboring countries. For example, the leaders of Uganda, Sudan and Egypt signed a pact to share the waters of the Nile River.

WATER WARS - ASIAThe Indus River Basin has been an area of conflict between India and Pakistan. Spanning 1,800 miles, the river and its tributaries together make up one of the largest irrigation canals in the world. The basin provides water to millions of people in northwestern India and Pakistan. Dams and canals built in order to provide hydropower and irrigation ha dried up stretches of the Indus River. Water projects have further caused the displacement of people and have contributed to the destruction of the ecosystem in the Indus plain. The idea of shared water supply has not been easily understood by the nations of this region. The growing populations come with the increase in demand and could be a catalyst for conflict to arise out of the ethnic and political disputes.

DEFORESTATION

DEFORESTATION - earth’s total forest area decrease at about 13 million hectares per year according to FAO. Experts estimate that we are losing 137 species of plants and animals every single day . if deforestation continues at current rates more than 90 per cent of rainforests ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020. Anthropogenic factors that affect forests include logging, urban sprawl, enlarging arable land, forest fires, acid rain and others…

Nigeria, Congo, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia , Brazil, Peru and Russia have the world’s highest deforestation rates.

Deforestation is the second largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide after the fossil fuel combustion.

The report, The impact of EU consumption on deforestation, has two main findings. Firstly, the EU was the biggest driver of global deforestation of all industrialized regions and China for the period 1990-2008. Major industrialized economies, along with China, were responsible for about one third of all deforestation that occurred globally during that period. Of these, the EU was the biggest contributor, with at least ten per cent of global deforestation linked to its consumption. The report’s second main finding is that the wasteful and unsustainable production and consumption of food, animal feed and energy crops in Europe have resulted in the destruction of an area of forest of at least 9 million hectares, which is equivalent to the size of Ireland, during the same period. The report identifies two main drivers of this ‘domestic’ deforestation - the consumption of livestock and animal feed, and of vegetable oil for food and energy products.

Deforestation and land use change accounts for 2,200 to 6,600 million metric tones of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) per year, or 30 to 50 percent of agricultural emissions and about 4 to 14 percent of global emissions. Between 1980 and 2000, more than 55 percent of new agricultural land replaced intact forestsForests cover about 3952 million hectares of the globe—about 30 percent of the world’s land area. From 2000 to 2005, gross deforestation continued at a rate of 12.9 million hectares per year. Due to aforestation, landscape restoration and the natural expansion of forests, the most recent estimate of net forest loss is 7.3 million hectares per yearCroplands and pastures have become one of the largest terrestrial biomes on the planet, occupying - 40 percent of the land surface and rivaling forest cover in extentSome irrigated lands have become heavily salinized, causing a worldwide loss of ~1.5 million hectares of arable land per year and an estimated 11 billion USD in lost productionSoil erosion, reduced fertility or overgrazing impacts up to ~40 percent of global croplandsCropland would have to be nearly doubled if the projected global population of more than 9 billion people in 2050

DESERTIFICATION

Desertification is the development of desert-like conditions in regions that have experienced human disturbance such as deforestation, overgrazing, or poorly managed agriculture. Although the extent of the world's deserts expand and contract in response to naturally changes in climatic conditions, desertification is a phenomenon induced by human activities. It affects about two-thirds of the countries of the world, and one-third of the earth's surface, on which one billion people live, namely, one-fifth of the world population. Desertification reduces the ability of land to support life, affecting wild species, domestic animals, agricultural crops and people. The reduction in plant cover that accompanies desertification leads to accelerated soil erosion by wind and water. South Africa losing approximately 300-400 million tones of topsoil every year. As vegetation cover and soil layer are reduced, rain drop impact and run-off increases.Worldwide, desertification is making approximately 12 million hectares useless for cultivation every year. This is equal to 10% of the total area of South Africa.Desertification has environmental impacts that go beyond the areas directly affected. For instance, loss of vegetation can increase the formation of large dust clouds that can cause health problems in more densely populated areas, thousands of kilometers away. Moreover, the social and political impacts of desertification also reach non-dry land areas. For example, human migrations from dry lands to cities and other countries can harm political and economic stability.

* Annual soil loss in South Africa is estimated at 300 - 400 million tones, nearly three tones for each hectare of land. * For every tone of maize, wheat, sugar or other agricultural crop produced, South Africa loses an average of 20 tones of soil.• The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization, a branch of United

Nations) estimates that the global loss of productive land through erosion is 5-7 million ha/year.

• Soil erosion is a major global environmental problem.• The soil covering the surface of the earth has taken millions of

years to form and we must learn to respect it. Soil is formed at a rate of only 1 cm every 100 to 400 years and it takes 3 000 to 12 000 years to build enough soil to form productive land.

ACID RAIN

FOSSIL FUELS

FOSSIL FUELS

FOSSIL FUELS

FOSSIL FUELS

FOSSIL FUELS

FOSSIL FUELS

FOSSIL FUELS

FOSSIL FUELS

RAW AND ENERGY PROBLEM Fossil fuels take millions of years to form. They are product of

dead plants and animals. They have been exposed to the heat and pressure deep in the earth’s crust. It’s estimated that about 80 per cent of the world’s energy comes from burning fossil fuels. They are major contributor to air pollution because when they are burned they release many dangerous gases such as nitrogen dioxide, methane and carbon dioxide.

Petroleum in one form or another has been used since ancient times. Europe’s first commercial oil well was drilled in Poland in 1853. USA became the leading producer by the mid 1900s.

Today about 90 per cent of fuel needs are met by oil. The top three oil producing countries are Saudi Arabia, Russia and USA. Abour 80 per cent of the world’s oil reserves are located in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait. Petrol is also raw material for many chemical products – plastics, solvents, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, clothing, carpets and so on…according to the British Petroleum Statistical Review all world’s oil reserves will end in the next 25 years.

Natural gas is essentially irreplaceable, is a major source of producing energy, is a cleaner alternative fuel and has domestic use. The world’s largest proven gas reserves are located in

Russia and Russia is the largest gas producer, as well. Major proven reserves of gas are located in Saudi Arabia,

Qatar, Kuwait, Iran and UAE, Kazakhstan, Netherlands and Turkmenistan. The world’s largest gas field is Qatar’s North field.

All world’s gas reserves will end in the next 40 years.Coal – major coal producers are China, USA, India, Australia,

Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, Poland and Germany. If continuous growth in usage at the rate of 2011 is

assumed, coal reserves will be exhausted in about 31 years.

The Ozone LayerOzone is a gas that occurs naturally in our atmosphere. Most of it is concentrated in the ozone layer, a region located in the stratosphere several miles above the surface of the Earth. Although ozone represents only a small fraction of the gas present in the atmosphere, it plays a vital role by shielding humans and other life from harmful ultraviolet light from the Sun. Human activities in the last several decades have produced chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which have been released into the atmosphere and have contributed to the depletion of this important protective layer. When scientists realized the destructive effect these chemicals could have on the ozone layer, international agreements were put in place to limit such emissions. As a result, it is expected that the ozone layer will recover in the coming decades.

AIR POLUTION AND GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Smog hanging over cities is the most familiar and obvious form of air pollution. But there are different kinds of pollution—some visible, some invisible—that contribute to global warming. Generally any substance that people introduce into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on living things and the environment is considered air pollution.Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that is warming Earth. Though living things emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, carbon dioxide is widely considered to be a pollutant when associated with cars, planes, power plants, and other human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. In the past 150 years, such activities have pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years.Another pollutant associated with climate change is sulfur dioxide, a component of smog. Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and causes Earth to cool. Volcanic eruptions can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling that lasts for years. In fact, volcanoes used to be the main source of atmospheric sulfur dioxide; today people are.

The ozone layer above the Antarctic has been particularly impacted by pollution since the mid-1980s. This region’s low temperatures speed up the conversion of CFCs to chlorine. In the southern spring and summer, when the sun shines for long periods of the day, chlorine reacts with ultraviolet rays, destroying ozone on a massive scale, up to 65 percent. This is what some people erroneously refer to as the "ozone hole." In other regions, the ozone layer has deteriorated by about 20 percent.As winter arrives, a vortex of winds develops around the pole and isolates the polar stratosphere. When temperatures drop below -78°C (-109°F), thin clouds form of ice, nitric acid, and sulphuric acid mixtures. Ozone depletion begins, and the ozone “hole” appears.  Over the course of two to three months, approximately 50% of the total column amount of ozone in the atmosphere disappears. At some levels, the losses approach 90%. This has come to be called the Antarctic ozone hole. In spring, temperatures begin to rise, the ice evaporates, and the ozone layer starts to recover.

TOP TEN MOST POLLUTED CITIES

In another part of city New Delhi, there are some areas where people dump their trash and dirt bag. Infant morbidity in New Delhi is high and main cause are these pollutions. Everyday, 1000 new vehicles run on the roads of Delhi and 3,000 tons of pollutant from industries fill the air of the city. It is not surprise that Delhi is known as 4th most polluted city in the world

Mumbai, another Growing City in India, is one of the most crowded city in the world. Badly, not all the people know how to clean their environment. The city always suffocated with new pollutions from the industries and vehicles. Some NGOs try to solve the problem but their solution won`t work unless it is back up with $1 billion dollar aid from Indian government.

Around 70 years ago, Mexico city was known as the cleanest city in the world. The fact is change this moment. In 1940, the average visibility was 100 km ad now down to 1,5 km. Snow-caped mountains is scarce and the oxygen is polluted with high percentage of Nitrogen dioxide.

Lagos in NIGERIA is a home of 12 millions families and many industries. From the air to the soil, Pollutions fill every gap of empty space in city.

Karachi is the busiest city in Pakistan. Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and psychological diseases already affected 35% of people who live on the city.

Dhaka is a city of 8 million families with serious problems of water pollutions, air pollutions and garbage problem. The water is thick and it is poisoned with pollutant from industries, commercial pesticides and bacteria of disease from other household

Since 2003, Baghdad face many wars and the government has more serious concern to carry over the environmental issue. Air pollutant from vehicles, power generators, oil burning, and water pollutant from other family are serious problem that grow every day. UN have studied this issue and it is no doubt that it is very serious issue that should be take over quickly