Soaring population, climate change stress resources
<p><span word="Population">Population</span> <span word="growth">growth</span> <span word="threatens">threatens</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="strain">strain</span> <span word="Earth">Earth</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="food">food</span> <span word="resources">resources</span>. <span word="By">By</span> 2050, <span word="nine">nine</span> <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="living">living</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="planet">planet</span>, <span word="up">up</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="six">six</span> <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="today">today</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="problem">problem</span> <span word="facing">facing</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="community">community</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="meet">meet</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="needs">needs</span> <span word="while">while</span> <span word="reining">reining</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="greenhouse">greenhouse</span> <span word="gases">gases</span> <span word="warming">warming</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="earth">earth</span>.</p><p><span word="Advances">Advances</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="losses">losses</span></p><p><span word="Progress">Progress</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="made">made</span>. <span word="Since">Since</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="leaders">leaders</span> <span word="met">met</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Rio">Rio</span> <span word="de">de</span> <span word="Janeiro">Janeiro</span>, <span word="Brazil">Brazil</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="Earth">Earth</span> <span word="Summit">Summit</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Sustainable">Sustainable</span> <span word="Development">Development</span> 20 <span word="years">years</span> <span word="ago">ago</span>, <span word="global">global</span> <span word="poverty">poverty</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="fallen">fallen</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="half">half</span>, <span word="per">per</span> <span word="capita">capita</span> <span word="income">income</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="doubled">doubled</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="life">life</span> <span word="expectancy">expectancy</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="increased">increased</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="four">four</span> <span word="years">years</span>.</p><p><span word="Yet">Yet</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="advances">advances</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="come">come</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="very">very</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="cost">cost</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="environment">environment</span>, <span word="says">says</span> <span word="Andrew">Andrew</span> <span word="Steer">Steer</span>, <span word="president">president</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="World">World</span> <span word="Resources">Resources</span> <span word="Institute">Institute</span>.</p><p>“<span word="We">We</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="had">had</span> 3.3 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="deaths">deaths</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="year">year</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="last">last</span> 20 <span word="years">years</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="pollution">pollution</span>. <span word="We">We</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="losing">losing</span> <span word="forests">forests</span>, 13 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="hectares">hectares</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="year">year</span>. <span word="That">That</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="size">size</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="England">England</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="single">single</span> <span word="year">year</span>. <span word="We">We</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="a">a</span> 50 <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="increase">increase</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="carbon">carbon</span> <span word="dioxide">dioxide</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="we">we</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="heading">heading</span> <span word="towards">towards</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="temperatures">temperatures</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="four">four</span> <span word="degrees">degrees</span> <span word="Celsius">Celsius</span> <span word="above">above</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="historically">historically</span>.”</p><p><span word="Currently">Currently</span> 1.3 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="lack">lack</span> <span word="electricity">electricity</span>, <span word="even">even</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="burgeoning">burgeoning</span> <span word="middle">middle</span> <span word="class">class</span> - <span word="expected">expected</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="grow">grow</span> <span word="from">from</span> 2 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="to">to</span> 5 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="by">by</span> 2050 - <span word="is">is</span> <span word="demanding">demanding</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="electric">electric</span> <span word="power">power</span>.</p><p><span word="Steers">Steers</span> <span word="says">says</span> 1,200 <span word="coal">coal</span>-<span word="fired">fired</span> <span word="power">power</span> <span word="plants">plants</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="proposed">proposed</span> <span word="globally">globally</span> <span word="in">in</span> 59 <span word="countries">countries</span>, <span word="largely">largely</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="China">China</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="India">India</span>, <span word="two">two</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="sources">sources</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="carbon">carbon</span> <span word="emissions">emissions</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="notes">notes</span> <span word="renewable">renewable</span> <span word="energy">energy</span> <span word="investment">investment</span> <span word="fell">fell</span> <span word="in">in</span> 2012 <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="eight">eight</span> <span word="years">years</span>.</p>
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