Arctic Ice

The ice in the Arctic is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040. Polar bears and other indigenous cultures are already suffering from sea-ice loss.

Arctic Ice Arctic Ice

Glaciers

Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting. Right now, Montana's Glacer National Park has only 27 glaciers. It had 150 in 1910.

Glaciers Glaciers

Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature. Up to 70% of some reefs died due to bleaching (or stress) in 1998 because of temperature changes.

Coral Reefs Coral Reefs

Temperature Change

Average world temperatures have risen 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) in the last one hundred years, much of it in the recent decade.

Temperature Change Temperature Change
 
 
What to know more about the Earth Summit 2002? Print E-mail
The Earth Summit, aka The World Summit on Sustainable Development aka (for those in the know) Rio plus 10, is the follow up conference from The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio, Brazil in 1992.


The theme of this summit is people, planet and prosperity and the summit is aiming to produce a practical plan for governments to work on and, unlike with previous summits, will be looking to do this in partnership with business, NGOs and civil societies movements.


So what is the grand plan?


We dont know yet but the summit aims to cover a very ambitious range of topics, some people think too ambitious and in this sense the summit may be setting itself up to fail.


In Rio, a plan of action was drawn up for governments to tackle urgent global issues in sustainable development- such as Climate Change, bio-diversity, health, poverty and corporate responsibility.


But Rio has failed to deliver on much of its promise and this summit presents a second chance for the world to get it right before it really is too late.


What is this Sustainable Development business?


Sustainable Development is one of those catch all terms that can mean everything or nothing. Essentially it's about balancing social, environmental and economic concerns so the interests of one are not furthered at the expense of the others.

It's also about ensuring the resources we currently use in industrial nations are not at the expense of poorer people and that developments must ensure the current gap between rich and poor is narrowed. The most accepted definition comes from the World Commission on Environment and Development, which defines sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.


What are the critical issues for the upcoming Johannesburg Earth Summit?


The summit is expected to come up with concrete and practical ways to achieve the targets in sustainable development that came out of the Rio summit. The plan is expected to include more imaginative and inclusive ways for governments to work in partnership with ngos and the private section. Kofi Annan (Secretary General, United Nations) has identified five priority areas for the summit to cover. These are water, energy, agricultural productivity, bio-diversity and health. Tied in with this is the overall issue of poverty reduction, seen as perhaps the most controversial area for the summit.


Poor nations, especially those in Africa, feel Rio and the priorities addressed since then have marginalized the issues of poverty, pointing to the fact that in the last 10 years the gap between rich and poor has widen. African per capita income in 1980 was 10% greater than it was in 2000 and throughout the world almost 1.2 billion people live on less than 2 dollars a day.


The other critical issues on the agenda include:

Energy and climate change

Education and literacy

Use of new technology and closing the gap between North and South

Corporate accountability

Globalisation

Peace

About Author

Davinos Greeno loves to wear ethical clothes from either that shop or from this green shopping portal!

Source: ArticleTrader.com
Read more at: http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/what-to-know-more-about-the-earth-summit-2002.html.
 
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