Climate change

• The global average temperature has risen 0.7 °C since 1906 and will rise a further 1.8 °C at best by the end of this century.
• Some scientists believe a 2°C temperature rise would cause major and irreversible damage.
• Meanwhile, average temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as elsewhere.
• Rising sealevels threaten the 60 percent of the population living within 100 kilometres of coastal lines.

Water and food

• Increasing irrigation demands will eventually cause 1 of every 10 major rivers to dry up.
• Population growth, over-consumption and a continued shift from cereals to meat will raise food demand to a level 2.5 – 3.5 times higher than at present.
• The slackening expansion of cropland stands in contrast with the fact that by 2030, developing countries will need 120 million extra hectares to feed themselves.

Biodiversity

• Species are becoming extinct a hundred times faster than the rate shown in the fossil record.