It’s not all about global warming

As the debate on global warming has lessened and more and more people cannot deny that it is happening, global warming has come into the spotlight as a global emergency that must be dealt with promptly and seriously. This is an important step in the world seeing itself as part of a global community and individual countries taking responsibility for their actions. Global warming is not the only worldwide crisis we should be focusing our attentions on, however. Other catastrophes are occurring throughout the world on a daily basis to at least a similar detrimental level as global warming, but are receiving much less hype. What else should we be keeping in mind?

Deforestation

Deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate across the planet in dry and tropical forests alike. Every second, 2.4 acres of rainforest disappears, equaling about 78 million acres of less forest land every year. Deforestation causes some of the biggest losses of the planet’s biodiversity and contributes to droughts, wildfires, land exhaustion, acid rain, animal extinctions, and a host of other issues. These forests also absorb a great deal of the carbon dioxide humans produce. A significant amount of our medicines can be found exclusively in these forests. Ignoring the loss of our world’s forests is one of the great unspoken tragedies of this century.

Ocean Pollution

The ocean’s ecosystems are notoriously sensitive to environmental changes and degradation. Trash can easily choke a reef system while chemical pollution has already wiped out some water species. Losing our ocean’s resources of food and minerals could collapse entire economies and force populations into starvation. It is estimated that 29% of aquatic species are already being overfished. Unfortunately, it is difficult to regulate environmental standards in the ocean because of national territories and disputed claims over ocean resources. Allowing our oceans to die could be one of the biggest environmental mistakes humans make.

Water Shortage

To begin with, less than 3% of the world’s water is drinkable by people. Today, over a billion people are already suffering from water shortages that leave them without easy access to adequate sources of safe water. Many big cities depend on aquifers to supply water to their populations, aquifers whose stores take centuries to replenish themselves when emptied. The coming water crisis is what has spurned many governments to privatize the water supply, hoping that business competition will help make the water infrastructure system become more efficient and long-lasting. We must change the ways we appreciate and use water to prevent what could easily become a global catastrophe if we continue to ignore the problem.

Poverty

At the moment, 80% of the world gets by on less than $10 a day while almost 30% of the world’s children are thought to be malnourished. Poverty is a problem that touches every country and, as a result, affects everyone. Living in poverty ruins the lives of those suffering, killing the poor’s intellectual and productive potential. It also breeds violence and crime through desperation. those living in poverty often lack education (thanks to cyclical poverty) and are more likely to harm the environment and spread diseases. Combating poverty saves individual lives and makes the world a safer place for everyone, immediately.

Global warming deserves the recognition it has recently received, but not in lieu of the awareness of other similarly catastrophic global problems. Fighting global warming by investing in organic cotton t-shirts and composting are important things you can and should do to make a difference - but don’t forget to also think of ways to start dismantling these other serious problems as well.