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More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many troubling environmental signs highlighted on Thursday in the Worldwatch Institute's annual check of the planet's health.
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More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many troubling environmental signs highlighted on Thursday in the Worldwatch Institute's annual check of the planet's health.
The Washington-based think tank's "Vital Signs 2007-2008" report points to global patterns ranging from rising meat consumption to Asian economic growth it says are linked to the broader problem of climate change.
"I think climate change is the most urgent challenge we have ever faced," said Erik Assadourian, director of the Vital Signs project.
"You see many trends in climate change, whether we are talking about grain production which is affected1 by droughts and flooding. Or meat production as livestock2 production makes up about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions3," he told reporters in a telephone interview before the report's release.
Assadourian said the key message of the report was that unsustainable consumption patterns were responsible for climate change linked to carbon emissions and other ecological4 woes5.
He said of the 44 trends tracked by the report, 28 were "pronouncedly bad" and only six were positive.
The trends range from the spread of avian flu to the rise of carbon emissions to the number of violent conflicts. The growing use of wind power is among the few trends seen as positive.
Some of the points highlighted in the report include:
- Meat production hit a record 276 million metric tons (43 kilograms or 95 pounds per person) in 2006.
- Meat consumption is one of several factors driving rising soybean demand. Rapid expansion of soybean plantations6 in South America could displace 22 million hectares (54 million acres) of tropical forest and savanna7 in the next 20 years.
- The rise in global seafood8 consumption comes as many fish species become scarcer. In 2004, people ate 156 million metric tons of seafood, the equivalent of three times as much seafood per person than in 1950.
Other analysts9 and think tanks have focused on different trends they say mean less cause for alarm. For example, they point out that while more wood is being removed from forests on a global scale, many parts of Europe and North America have experienced reforestation in recent decades.
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上周四，世界观察研究学会一年一度的“地球健康体检”报告出炉。2005年，地球的森林砍伐量创历史新高，这是该报告强调的众多环境问题征兆之一。
该驻华盛顿智囊机构在一份题为“地球生命征兆2007-2008”的报告中指出，从肉类消费量的不断增长到亚洲经济发展等各种全球性态势与气候变化这一显著问题都有关系。
“地球声明征兆2007-2008”项目的负责人埃里克•阿萨多利安说，“我认为气候变化是人类有史以来所面临的最严峻的挑战”。
在报告公布前，阿萨多利安在接受记者的电话采访时说，“我们可以看到气候变化中出现的众多趋势，比如，粮食生产受到洪涝灾害的影响；以及肉类生产，据统计，家禽饲养过程中所产生的温室气体占温室气体总排放量的20%”。
阿萨多利安说，这份报告的主题是，二氧化碳排放及其它生态灾难引起气候变化，“不可持续”的消费模式才是气候变化的罪魁祸首。
据他介绍，在报告中提到的44种与气候变化有关的趋势中，有28种“尤为不利”，仅有六种具有积极意义。
这些趋势包括禽流感的蔓延、二氧化碳排放量的增加、以及暴力冲突的增加等。风能使用的日益增多是仅有的几大积极趋势之一。
报告中的一些重点包括：
--2006年，肉类生产量创2.76亿吨（人均43公斤/95磅）的最新记录。
--肉类消费量的增加是造成大豆需求不断增长的几大因素之一。在南美洲，大豆种植面积迅速扩大，这可能会导致未来20年热带森林和热带草原面积减少2200万公顷（5400万英亩）。
--很多鱼类品种日益稀少，全球海鲜消费量增加。2004年，全球共消耗1.56亿吨海鲜产品，人均消费量相当于1950年的三倍。
也有分析人士和相关智囊机构在关注另外一些趋势，他们认为这些趋势可以降低“警报级别”。
例如，尽管全球森林砍伐量创新高，但欧洲和北美的很多地区近几十年来一直在进行再造林。
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