THE GLOBAL WORLD AND USSIRJE AHER, GEORG AHER

12 JUNE 2014

Explosive population increase

Growing consumption of natural resources, nature services and genetic variety.

Globalization

Climate change

Global problems which influence decisions

GLOBAL POPULATION 1950 -2050

http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/worldpop/graph_population.php

http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/worldpop/tool_population.php

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#pastfuture

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population

10th of June 2014 at 8.00am

10th of June 2014 at 9.00am

• 99,9% of the period humans have been around, life expectancy hasn’t exceeded 30 years.

• Archeologists have never found remains of a person who is older than 50 years.

• (Nature408 (2000) pp. 267-269)

People live longer

Population increase prognosis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World_population_(UN).svg

The ecological footprint measures land area used by a product or service during its lifetime (hectares per year)

In 2012 mankind consumed 1.5 times the natural resources on the planet, which means that Earth will take 18 months to replenish the resources used and to eliminate the waste.

Ecological footprint

http://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96koloogiline_jalaj%C3%A4lg http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/footprint_science_introduction/

http://www.google.ee/imgres?q=earth+overshoot+day+2012&hl=et&sa=X&rlz=1T4ADRA_enEE457EE458&biw=1366&bih=589&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=4hEEvPdriF-YmM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bioregional.com/blog/earth-overshoot-day-2012/&docid=fj0G0090g_21ZM&imgurl=http://www.bioregional.com/files/media/image/graphics/footprints%252520fb.jpg&w=555&h=363&ei=Q6JwUMPHNbLI0AWf8oDwDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=189&vpy=145&dur=6366&hovh=181&hovw=278&tx=161&ty=79&sig=117945889208142994641&page=1&tbnh=117&tbnw=157&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:70

COUNTRIES RANKED ACCORDING TO THEIR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Allikas : http://www.wwf.or.jp/activities/lib/lpr/WWF_EFJ_2009e.pdf

http://yle.fi/uutiset/maailmaa_uhkaa_ankara_pula__kaikesta/7018115

Other countries

EUROPE

USA

JAPAN

THE REST OF ASIA

INDIA

CHINA

MIDDLE CLASS CONSUMPTION BY REGIONS

SOURCE:OECD

�̶Biodiversity is like a web with different levels of relations.

�̶All organisms on Earth are connected, and each organism plays a role in the web.

Biodiversity

Georg Aheri foto

Decisions and conclusions are often based on individual and irrelevant facts…

Photo by Georg Aher

Biological diversity guarantees that we have food and medicine

•ca 80 000 plants that grow in the wild are potential food sources.

•People make use of around ca 40 000 species of animals, plants and mushrooms every day.

Why do we need diversity?

The loss of biodiversityThe number of tigers in the world has been reduced by 98% in the last 100 years. Currently it’s believed that there are only 3000 tigers alive.Reasons for their population decease:• Habitat destruction• Reduction in prey• Hunting

Foto:http://www.google.ee/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=QsIOqT6QiO37FM&tbnid=mL2dZ43KxThMKM

http://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/google.com/science-2013-global-forest

• Destruction of habitats

• Environmental degradation

• Landscape segmentation

• Hunting

• Lack of pollinators

• Introduction of foreign species

Changes in biodiversity during the last 50 years are greater than they have ever been in the history of mankind.

Causes of biodiversity reduction

Photos by Georg Aher

http://www.google.ee/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=vvobKp7uwcX7-M&tbnid=zEsMHhCfqIx5RM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.altenergyshift.com%2Fgallery%2Fimage%2F143-globalization-starbucks-vs-i

GLOBALISATION

http://www.marshallprotocol.com/forum39/13946-2.html

Latest research indicates that in 2050 food demand will be 70-100% greater than today.

Top 3 food challenges:

• Food production must satisfy growing demand.

• Food production must be sustainable in terms of population growth and the environment.

• We must ensure that even the poorest do not suffer hunger.

Food in the future

http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats

AT THE SAME TIME…

• A third of all adults worldwide are overweight… and the number has QUADRUPLED since 1980 (in the developing world).

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533683/Global-obesity-explosion-Third-adults-worldwide-overweight.html#ixzz34DTGSLy1

12% of all land mass on Earth is currently being used for agriculture.

This can be maximally increased to 15 %.

Climate change can provide more favourable farming conditions in the temperate zone:

• Longer growth periods.

• More heat.

Climate change can worsen conditions in dry areas (droughts, pests)

Agriculture

Recall the food price crisis of 2007-2008.

Until 2050 scientists predict a slow but steady rate of growth for food prices.

In 2050 the food price increase will accelerate.

Some sources indicate that climate change will increase food prices by 80%.

The effect of food production on climate change is comparable to the effect all global traffic has on climate change.

Food prices

Produce The effect on climate change (CO2 equivalent/kg)

Beef 15

Cheese 13

Pigmeat 5

Poultry 4

Tomato and cucumber (grown in greenhouses during winter)

5

Rice 5

Vegetable oil 3

Eggs 2,5

Fish 1,5

Rye bread 1,3

Sugar 1,2Dried beans 0,7

Berries, vegetables 0,2

https://ilmasto-opas.fi/fi/ilmastonmuutos/hillinta/-/artikkeli/ab196e68-c632-4bef-86f3-18b5ce91d655/ilmastomyotainen-ruoka.html

The first hamburger with meat grown entirely in the laboratory (the price was €250 000).

http://www.tritolonen.fi/index.php?page=news&id=546

• How much food do you think people in Ukraine discard every year (per person)?

• How do you reduce the amount of wasted food in a household?

• How do you reduce the amount of wasted food in schools?

• What do you think leads to food being wasted in the world?

Food wasted

• One vegetarian day per week.

• Avoid plants grown in greenhouses.

• Prefer fish, seasonal berries and mushrooms.

• Do not serve more than you can eat.

• Warm your food using a microwave oven.

• Avoid sweets: soft drinks, cookies, candy, chips, etc.

• Do not throw food in regular trash: sort biowaste.

Some environmentally friendly behaviours

• http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2014/01/pictures-ghana-e-waste-mecca-2014130104740975223.html

Trash

• Between 1906 and 2005 air temperatures near the ground have increased by 0,74 ºC (± 0,18 ºC).

• The years 2000–2009 had significantly higher temperatures, and the 90s were warmer than the 80s.

• Scientists expect global temperatures to increase by 1,1–6,4 ºC by 2100

Global warming

• The global temperature increase in the previous century is approximately 90% manmade.

• The consequences are:• Increased glacier melting,

• Increased water levels,

• Changes in rainfall patterns,

• More frequent environmental disasters,

• Etc.

The consequences of climate change

DURING THE LAST 650 000 YEARS CO2 LEVELS HAVE FLUCTUATED BETWEEN 180-300 PPM. CURRENTLY IT’S 380 PPM – THE HIGHEST IN 3 MILLION YEARS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Evidence_CO2.jpg

Allikas:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KMFU6wbcd2Y/R1LaPDB5XQI/AAAAAAAAAD0/9Mp0kSHm49w/s1600-R/Greenhouse_Gas_by_Sector.png

CO2 neutral economies?

• Houses with zero energy consumption.

• Alternative energy sources.

• Preferring bikes to cars.

• International strategies and agreements.

• Conservation efforts.

• Environmentally aware behaviour by everyone.

• Environmental education at each educational stage.

Solutions