Briefing Questions

How can humans save the environment? A report has warned that "time is running out" to fix Earth's climate crisis. It says that action from governments and citizens is "urgently" needed.

Q. What is going on?:  A. In an important report published by the Alliance of World Scientists, more than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries issued a "warning to humanity". They claim that environmental destruction is threatening the future of the world.

Q. Haven't we heard this before?: A. Yes. Back in 1992, 1,500 scientists gave the same warning. According to this more recent report, humanity has since "failed to make sufficient progress" in solving environment issues - in fact, most have become "far worse".

Q. What are the problems?: A. There are four big issues. The first is "potentially catastrophic climate change", caused by greenhouse gasesGreenhouse gases, which increase the atmosphere's capacity to hold heat, are vital to life on Earth: without them the planet would be freezing. But human activity is disturbing the delicate balance that created the conditions for life as we know it. Carbon dioxide is responsible for 60% of the manmade greenhouse effect, but we also produce smaller quantities of methane, ozone and nitrous oxide, which are even more damaging.. The world is emitting more and more carbon dioxide - despite international promises to reduce the amount.

Intensive farmingA type of farming that seeks to produce as much food as possible, such as by using chemical fertilisers. methods are another big problem. Pollution from raising crops, animals, and other things creates more greenhouse gases than all cars, planes and trains combined.

Clearing land for farming also drives the third main problem: deforestationThe removal of a forest in order to use the land on which it stood for some other use, often agriculture or housing.. Up to 58,000 square miles of forest are lost every year - the same as 48 football pitches per minute.

Rising temperatures, farming, and deforestation all contribute to the fourth issue: mass wildlife extinction. Scientists have calculated that up to 50% of all wild animals have been killed in the last 40 years. And humans are to blame.

Q. And that isn't everything?: A. No. The amount of fresh water is decreasing, and industrial chemicals are killing wildlife in the sea.

On top of all this, the world's human population keeps increasing. There are two billion more people on the planet than in 1992 - a 35% increase.

Q. So, what can we do about it?: A. The report suggests 13 steps that we could take (see the graphic above). Adults could decide to have fewer children, and most people could eat less meat, waste less food, and encourage wild spaces - even if it is just a patch of long grass in the garden.

Governments can help by creating nature reserves, cracking down on poachersPeople who catch animals illegally (and often kill them). , and making society fairer. The report encourages people to put pressure on politicians to act. There is a role for businesses too: for example, big companies could invest in renewableEnergy sources, such as wind and solar power. energy.

Q. Will that really make a difference?: A. Maybe. When scientists issued their first warning in 1992, emissions had created a massive hole in the Earth's ozone layerA layer of gas around 10 kilometres above the Earth's surface which absorbs ultraviolet radiation (a type of heat that reaches the planet from the sun). The layer has a very important role as exposure to too much ultraviolet can be bad for living things.. This was causing skin cancer rates to go up, and was damaging to wildlife. However, thanks to a ban on certain chemicals, the hole has shrunk a lot, and is predicted to be gone by 2050. This proves that big environmental problems can be solved when societies "act decisively".