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Our planet in grave peril

The proposition appears simple and straight-forward.    Our planet is in grave danger.    The solution?    Another meeting, the Rio+20 Summit - this time, coming up in Brazil this month.   We either listen to the experts or apparently face the very real prospect of our planet, as we know it, being in grave dire straits.

"As thousands of people prepare to convene in Brazil this month for the Rio+20 Earth Summit, scientists and environmentalists alike are sending a sharp message: The planet is in dire straits.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Environment Program issued a report showing that the world has made significant progress on only four of the 90 most important environmental objectives agreed on through the U.N. process. Gains have come in eliminating ozone-depleting substances, phasing out lead in gasoline, increasing access to water supplies and encouraging research into marine pollutants. In most other categories — including protecting plant and animal species, curbing marine pollution and conserving water supplies — humanity is falling short.

“If current trends continue, if current patterns of production and consumption of natural resources prevail and cannot be reversed and ‘decoupled,’ then governments will preside over unprecedented levels of damage and degradation,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a statement."


Continue reading this report from The Washington Post here.

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