Our Environment is Slowly Deteriorating. Here are 6 Facts You Probably Didn't Know.
By: Nitya Kattamuri and Anvitha Yalamanchili
1. The world’s rainforests are predicted to be entirely evacuated by 2100.
We may run out of seafood within the next 26 years.
To limit the Earth’s temperature by 34.7 degrees Farenheit, we need to reduce all emissions by 55% until 2030
Methane is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and it has increased by over 170 percent since the Industrial Revolution
2. Discarded Cigarettes Cause 8%-10% of all US Fires.
Apart from causing wildfires, cigarettes are also the cause for the vast production of waste in our environment, approximately 175,200 tonnes every year.
In addition to annual 1,830,000 tonnes of plastic waste in the environment, 2,000,000 tonnes waste from cigarette cartons and packaging materials are simultaneously accumulated.
Not only all that, but approximately 200,000 hectares of the forest are lost due to tobacco production.
3. Between 2000-2017, coal extraction in the Philippines increased ninefold.
Natural gas extractions in the Philippines amounted to 138.5 feet.
Non-renewable energy sources contributed to around 0.46% of the total economy in 2019.
Class C oil reserves can’t be used for commercial use, and those account for 87% of the Philippines’ total.
4. Between 2020 and 2030 consumers will grow by 1.7 billion people.
We’re already overspending the planet by more than 70%. As it isn’t logically sustainable, we could soon be facing an entirely different world.
The number of extracted natural resources will double between 2000 and 2050 making pollution even worse and destroying our planet quickly.
Each year we extract over 90 billion tons of natural resources – that’s 11 tons per person.
5. New Delhi was the world’s most polluted city in 2013 and 2016.
Air quality data (AQI) in India has shown that five cities in it (Ahmedabad, Delhi, Patna, Gurugram, and Lucknow) have incredibly high pollution levels. In fact, Ahmedabad reached up to 484 AQI- keeping in mind that anything over 300 is hazardous.
The PM2.5 value in New Delhi (a particulate matter) more than doubles the government-regulated allowance for clean air.
This particular level increases the chances of long-term mortality risks by 15%.
6. China is the third highest country to experience natural disasters.
It’s right behind the US and Indonesia, but climate change brings more natural disasters than ever recorded. Pollution disasters caused Sichuan, China, an economic loss of $5,180,794,200 in 2018.
In 2018, 50% of China couldn’t access drinking water.
Unfortunately, due to the Chinese boom in cheap, quick, and fast production, 90% of their water system is contaminated, even in the most highly populated cities.