Friday, March 16, 2012
[IWS] OECD ENVIRONMENTAL OUTLOOK TO 2050: THE CONSEQUENCES OF INACTION [15 March 2012]
IWS Documented News Service
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Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
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OECD
OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction [15 March 2012]
http://www.oecd.org/document/11/0,3746,en_2649_37465_49036555_1_1_1_37465,00.html
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Browse
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Full-text for subscribers
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264122246-en
[full-text, 353 pages]
Highlights
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/1/49846090.pdf
[full-text, 8 pages]
CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Socioeconomic Developments
Chapter 3. Climate Change
Chapter 4. Biodiversity
Chapter 5. Water
Chapter 6. Health and Environment
Annex: Modelling Framework
Press Release 15 March 2012
Environment: Act now or face costly consequences, warns OECD
http://www.oecd.org/document/34/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_49897570_1_1_1_1,00.html
15/03/2012 - As countries struggle with the immediate challenges of stretched public finances and high unemployment, they must not neglect the longer term. Action needs to be taken now to prevent irreversible damage to the environment.
“Greener sources of growth can help governments today as they tackle these pressing challenges. Greening agriculture, water and energy supply and manufacturing will be critical by 2050 to meet the needs of over 9 billion people.” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.
The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction presents the latest projections of socio-economic trends over the next four decades, and their implications for four key areas of concern: climate change, biodiversity, water and the health impacts of environmental pollution. Despite the recent recession, the global economy is projected to nearly quadruple to 2050. Rising living standards will be accompanied by ever growing demands for energy, food and natural resources - and more pollution.
The costs of inaction could be colossal, both in economic and human terms. Without new policies:
- World energy demand in 2050 will be 80% higher, with most of the growth to come from emerging economies (for North America about +15%, for OECD Europe +28%, for Japan +2.5, for Mexico +112%) and still 85% reliant on fossil fuel-based energy. This could lead to a 50% increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally and worsening air pollution.
- Urban air pollution is set to become the top environmental cause of mortality worldwide by 2050, ahead of dirty water and lack of sanitation. The number of premature deaths from exposure to particulate air pollutants leading to respiratory failure could double from current levels to 3.6 million every year globally, with most occurring in China and India. Because of their ageing and urbanised populations, OECD countries are likely to have one of the highest rate of premature death from ground-level ozone in 2050, second only to India.
- On land, global biodiversity is projected to decline by a further 10%, with significant losses in Asia, Europe and Southern Africa. Areas of mature forests are projected to shrink by 13%. About one-third of biodiversity in rivers and lakes worldwide has already been lost, and further losses are projected to 2050.
- Global water demand will increase by some 55%, due to growing demand from manufacturing (+400%), thermal power plants (+140%) and domestic use (+130%). These competing demands will put water use by farmers at risk. 2.3 billion more people than today –over 40% of the global population – will be living in river basins under severe water stress, especially in North and South Africa, and South and Central Asia.
AND MUCH MORE....
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