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Essay / Earth's ecosystem in danger - 577
The study, carried out by 1,360 experts from 95 countries, said a growing human population had polluted or overexploited two-thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water. , over the last 50 years. “At the heart of this assessment is a stark warning,” said the 45-member board of directors of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. "Human activity is putting such pressure on the Earth's natural functions that the capacity of the planet's ecosystems can no longer be taken for granted," he said. Ten to 30 percent of the world's species Mammals, birds and amphibians were already threatened with extinction, according to the assessment, the largest study of the planet's survival systems. "Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and. deeper than in any comparable period in human history, largely to meet growing demands for food, fresh water, wood, fiber and fuel," the report said. substantial and largely irreversible loss of the diversity of life on earth,” he adds. For example, more land has been converted to cropland since 1945 than during the 18th and 19th centuries combined. Worse “The harmful consequences of this degradation could worsen considerably over the next 50 years,” says the report. The report was compiled by experts including United Nations agencies and international scientific and development organizations. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the study "shows how human activities are causing large-scale environmental damage around the world, and how biodiversity -- the very basis of life on Earth -- is declining at an alarming rate. "The report says there is evidence that pressures on nature could trigger abrupt changes like the collapse of the cod fishery off Canada's Newfoundland in 1992 after years of overfishing. could lead to sudden outbreaks of disease. Warming of the Great Lakes in Africa due to climate change, for example, could create conditions for the spread of cholera and a buildup of nitrogen from fertilizers washed away from agricultural lands. Seas could cause a sudden bloom of algae that would suffocate fish or create oxygen-depleted "dead zones" along coastlines, deforestation often leads to a decrease in precipitation. , lack of rain could suddenly compromise the growing conditions of a region's remaining forests The report says that within 100 years, global warming largely blamed on the burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories and power plants, could take over as global warming occurs. main source of damage.