We even use a multitude of medicines made from marine species.Īnd then there's the money. About 3 billion people receive one-fifth of their protein consumption from fish, making it a more important source than beef.
We have no idea what kind of damage the loss of fish species could cause to ecosystems around the globe - or how the changes will affect humanity. To combat the problem, many organizations, including the UN and European Commission, have tried to impose catch limits on certain species. If the world continues fishing at its current rate, all fish stocks could become extinct by 2050, according to a 2010 report from the environmental branch of the UN. Right now, 87% of the world's assessed fish stocks are classified as over-exploited or fully exploited. The drying of lakes and rivers releases greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, into the air, potentially exacerbating climate change.īecause of the water cycle, the world will also face more droughts, potentially making wildfires at least twice as destructive by 2050. With population growth and global warming, the situation will only worsen. And by 2050, MIT researchers say that 5 billion of the world's projected 9.7 billion people could live in water-stressed areas.Īside from a lack of drinking water, populations in these areas might not have the means to irrigate their fields (threatening food supply) or for other domestic, industrial, and environmental purposes.Ĭurrently, one-third of the world's rivers - groundwater for about 3 billion people - are going or gone, according to the World Preservation Foundation. Nearly 2 billion people will live in countries, mostly in the Middle East and North Africa, with absolute water scarcity, according to the International Water Management Institute. And 1 billion people, about one-sixth of the world's population, face daily shortages, according to the foundation.īy 2050, however, this number will likely increase. Twenty percent of the world's GDP is produced in these areas as well.Īlready, water scarcity hounds 2.7 billion people - nearly 40% of the world's population - for at least one month every year, either because they don't have access to clean water or because they can't afford it, Water Footprint Network says. And 2.5 billion people (36% of the world's population) live in regions of the world experiencing water stress. Today, 1.1 billion people lack access to water. This will only increase as urban populations rise and pollution worsens. Therefore, a rise in the urban population will also put pressure on energy demands and generate more pollution, potentially making the air toxic to breathe, similar to the situation in Beijing unfolding over the last decade.Īccording to the World Health Organization, outdoor air pollution is estimated to have caused 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide in 2012. Dwindling water supplies and inadequate sanitation will only compound the negative health affects.Ĭompared to rural areas, cities consume about three-quarters of the world’s energy and produce the same amount of global carbon emissions. By mid-century, about 6.3 billion people will live in cities.Īside from overcrowding, the skyrocketing population will likely spur the faster spread of infectious diseases and viruses, from tuberculosis to the flu. Today, that figure has ballooned to more than 4 billion - more than half the world’s entire population - and the upward trend is set to continue. In 1950, just under 750 million people lived in urban areas.