Word: planetful
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...divided into assessments of five major types of ecosystems--forests, freshwater systems, coastal/marine habitats, grasslands and agricultural lands--and all five are showing signs of deterioration (see the graphics on these pages). The report's maps and charts capture the stunning scale and character of human impact on the planet. One set reveals the degree to which agricultural lands have been degraded around the world by the buildup of salts and the loss of nutrients; another locates oceanic dead zones caused by pollutants flowing to the sea from rivers; another shows the degree to which productive parts...
...crucial step is a true accounting of the state of the planet, a thorough assessment of the health of all Earth's major ecosystems, from oceans to forests. Only a comprehensive global survey can show how damage to one system is affecting other systems and can determine whether Earth as a whole is losing its ability to nurture the full diversity of life and the economies of nations...
...results provide an overwhelming case for proceeding with the full-scale assessment next year. Equally important, PAGE is the first time a critical mass of scientists from different disciplines has rallied around the crisis in the planet's ecosystems. Notes Calestous Juma of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government: "If you look at issues like ozone depletion and climate change, there was progress because different scientists pulled together in assessments. That hasn't happened until now in biological systems...
PAGE starkly concludes that our planet's capacity is beginning to diminish, threatening our economic well-being and ultimately our survival. It's not possible to go through the report's maps, charts, graphs and case studies without wondering, How did we let things get to this point...
...industry. Various societies have degraded huge areas without suffering dire consequences. In the U.S., pioneers plowed up almost the entire prairie on the nation's way to becoming an agricultural and economic colossus, but America lost what may have been the greatest concentration of animal life on the planet. Britain, Japan, Korea and Thailand are among the societies that prospered even as they converted their original natural systems into farms and industrial parks, diverted and despoiled their rivers and re-engineered their coasts...