Summary - Selection 12

Ecosystems and Human Well-being - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005

Because we depend so much on the Earth's ecosystems, we are fragile to it's changes and effected greatly. People especially being effected are from poorer nations. During the Millennium Ecosystem management assessment, they found that 60% of the ecosystem is being used unsustainably or degraded. Our water quality is going down and regional climates are shifting from global warming. Things are only expected to get worse over the next 50 years even if the human population starts to slow down. What they are trying to express in this article is that there is no quick fix to the problem(s) because of the fact that climate change HAS happened, loss of biodiversity HAS happened, and land HAS degraded already. Changes in governance, economic policies and incentives, and social and behaviour factors are only a few things that need consideration in fighting the degradation of our ecosystems that we depend so much on.

A finding that has become more common knowledge is that there has been more change happening more quickly in the past 50 years than any other period of time in history. We have changed the diversity of life on Earth significantly, to a point that it may be irreversible. Another point made by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is that species are even becoming homogeneous, which they explain as a result from introduction of foreign invasive species to regions from travel and shipping. The number of species on the planet is also declining, which hopefully can be stopped before more extinction occurs. Even more alarming is that over the past few hundred year we have caused the extinction rate to increase by about 1000 times than comparable periods of time, which is also leading to a decrease in genetic diversity.

As population increases, so does the need for food and water. Supply and demand for our non-renewable resources keeps increasing as populations go up, especially in the already poor nations. Goals made by Millennium Development group and United Nations include an overall improvement of human well being. To achieve this they aim to reduce poverty, hunger, child and maternal mortality. They want o ensure education for all and to continue to push environmental sustainability on global partners, so that we all work together toward this common goal. Because such a significant improvement is required to manage our ecosystems, global efforts are needed to achieve the above goals. Already we have made steps by protecting forests (example given by Millennium Eco Assessment), which has helped and will hopefully continue to help efforts in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. Technological advances have helped, but we need to still be careful of alternatives our there. Though we may be saving trees by making changes in one area, the effects of the substitutions can still negatively impact the environment

The Millennium Development Group has come up with some effective solutions for change, including changes in Agricultural practises, water usage, and forestry that will keep tight reigns on people/corporations from "overindulging" on resources to initiate sustainable practises. Increased awareness for degradation of ecosystems and how we can sustain them need to be expressed wholly, from upper ranks of society to the poor people most effected by the loss of our ecosystems as we know it.