The State of the World's Natural Environment.
Science and technology will not be able to ensure a better future for the human race. The future of the planet is a big concern now since there are so many people. One of the issues is global warming. Each of the international governments need to keep track of their own carbon emissions so scientist can focus on the threat of climate change. .
In the last twenty years the farmers in Stockholm have lost 500 billion tons of topsoil due to erosion. In Rio carbon dioxide climbed 9 percent from the year before. Seeing some of the troubles some countries are going thought there is really no true accounting system on depreciation of natural capital or loss of topsoil from erosion, destruction of forest by acid rain, or the depletion of the protective stratosphere. .
No one has a clue of how many species of plants and animals are lost each year. Plus the question still remains how many species are there on Earth? There is no global data system that can measure gains or losses of grass, trees, topsoil, and more. The result of having no global data system is that there will be destruction of the environment. .
Today the economy is expanding and to have an incomplete accounting system then the environment could collapse slowly and destroy the whole system. "Rapid population growth, environmental degradation, and deepening poverty are reinforcing each other in a downward spiral in many countries." In 49 countries 846 million people are low-income, "largely agrarian economies experiencing rapid population growth and extensive degradation of their forest, grasslands, and croplands." The Royal Society/National Academy statement implies it may be impossible to reverse the falling of the living standards of nearly one sixth of the human race if nothing changes.
