<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Word Watch</h2>

Pledges: According to the Paris climate agreement in 2015, China pledged to cut emissions by 60-65% by 2030 from 2005 levels. The USA pledged to reduce emissions by 26-28% by 2025 but have since withdrawn from the agreement.

Combined: According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, based on 2010 emissions.

Minute: According to the World Wildlife Fund.

Scientists: According to research lead by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London.

Predicted: According to Professor Susan Solomon from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What is going on?:

In a landmark report published by the Alliance of World Scientists this week more than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries issued a "warning to humanity." They claim that environmental destruction is "jeopardising" the future of the world. The study is a "second notice", coming after 1,500 scientists gave the same warning in 1992. According to the new report, humanity has since "failed to make sufficient progress" in solving environment issues - in fact most have gotten "far worse".

What are the problems?:

There are four big issues. The first is "potentially catastrophic climate change", caused by greenhouse gasses. A separate study, led by the University of East Anglia, released this week found that global carbon dioxide emissions have risen by 2% this year - despite international pledges to reduce them.

Intense agricultural methods are another big problem. Pollution from raising crops, livestock and other resources accounts for 24% of global emissions - more 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 thousand square miles of forest are lost every year, the same as 48 football pitches per minute. And between 1990 and 2015 global forest coverage decreased by an area the size of South Africa.

Rising temperatures, intense 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.

And that isn't everything?:

No. We also have problems with water. The amount of fresh water is drying up, with availability now less than half that of the 1960s. And the number of ocean dead zones has increased, with marine life suffocated by industrial chemicals dumped into the sea.

On top of all this, the world's human population keeps increasing. The report describes population growth as the "primary driver" of environmental harm. There are two billion more people on the planet than in 1992 - a 35% increase. And the United NationsAn international organisation focused on keeping peace. Its refugee agency, the UNHCR, aims to assist refugees around the world. predicts that the world's population will reach 11.2 billion by 2100.

<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Briefing Questions</h2>

So what can we do about it?:

The report highlights 13 steps that could tackle these issues (see graphic). Some can be achieved by individuals. For example, adults could make conscious decisions 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.

Other steps will need intervention from governments. This includes creating nature reserves, cracking down on poachers and making society fairer.

There is a role for businesses too. Big corporations could invest in renewableEnergy sources, such as wind and solar power. energy instead of fossil fuelsFuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming., while entrepreneurs could compete to create the green technology of the future.

But what else can I do to help?:

The report encourages everyone to make these issues political. It declares that "citizens must insist that their governments take immediate action". And argues that with a "groundswell of organised grassroots efforts," it is possible to force politicians to "do the right thing."

Will that really make a difference?:

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 increasing cancer rates and damaging plant and marine life. However, thanks to a ban on certain chemicals the hole has shrunk by more than 1.5 million square miles, and is predicted to by fully healed by 2050. As the report states, this proves that big environmental problems can be solved when societies "act decisively."

Deforestation - The removal of a forest in order to use the land on which it stood for some other use, often agriculture or housing.

United Nations - An international organisation focused on keeping peace. Its refugee agency, the UNHCR, aims to assist refugees around the world.

Renewable - Energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

Fossil fuels - Fuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming.

Ozone layer - A 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.