Protecting bits of nature here and there will not prevent humanity from losing our life support system. Even if areas dedicated to conserving plants, animals, and other species that provide Earth’s life support system increased tenfold, it would not be enough without dealing with the big issues of the 21st century: population, overconsumption and inefficient resource use. Without dealing with those big issues, humanity will need 27 planet Earths by 2050, a new study estimates.
The size and number of protected areas on land and sea has increased dramatically since the 1980s, now totalling over 100,000 in number and covering 17 million square kilometres of land and two million square kilometres of oceans, a new study reported Thursday.
Tag Archives: population
Rajasthan in ‘cars for sterilisation’ drive
Health officials in the Indian state of Rajasthan are launching a new campaign in an effort to reduce the high population growth in the area.
They are encouraging men and women to volunteer for sterilisation, and in return are offering a car and other prizes for those who come forward.
The rise of the ‘childfree’
Not so long ago, all women without children were known as childless, with its implication of a state of loss. Nowadays, a growing number of women are insisting on the term childfree – with its emphasis on liberation.
An increasing number of women in their 30s are rejecting the job description that they believe comes with parenting – loss of freedom, reduced career prospects and financial burdens.