The air is full of carbon dioxide and other pollutants;
The ocean is emptying;
We have observed record setting harvests over the last few years, and yet chronic hunger persists and has recently been increasing;
The planet is experiencing the 6th great extinction;

All of these are the result of human activity.

This evidence illustrates that we have not responsibly managed, neither through governance nor technology, our environmental resources. In the absence of finding a sustainable relationship with our ecosystem, we might conclude that we have reached Earth's carrying capacity.

Human waste may be a topic that people generally do not or prefer not to think about. However, its capture and disposal (often referred to in terms of sanitation) play a vital role in human health and development. The importance of sanitation as a basic human need has made it an international development priority and a key target in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Even though since 1990 the percent of the global population with access to improved sanitation has increased (see Figure 1.), lack of improved sanitation still threatens human health and development particularly in developing regions of the world.

The number of piracy attacks reported this year have already far exceeded those of last year. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), as of September 23, 2009, 294 piratical incidents have been reported, with 97 occurring in the Gulf of Aden and 47 off of the remaining coasts of Somalia. Figure 1 shows the placements of pirate attacks within the Gulf of Aden from July to September, 2009.

Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event where bloggers worldwide combine their energies to highlight a specific issue. Over 10,000 sites from more than 150 countries, are participating in this years discussion on climate change.

As part of EarthTrends contribution we will be highlighting a few key climate change trends and statistics.

The 6th Extinction
A mass extinction is under way. Human activity, not natural phenomenon, is the difference between this extinction and the five previous big extinctions that have occurred in Earth's history. The current extinction is driven by habitat loss, overexploitation of species, invasive species and pollution. All of these, the result of humans.

The current extinction rate is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural rate. (International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN) Current estimates put the extinction rate at roughly 30,000 species per year which is about three per hour. By the end of this century, about half of Earth's plant species could be gone. (Pitman and Jorgensen, 2002) For an assessment of global biodiversity, refer to the IUCN Red List.

The global economy and energy system are interdependent strands where changes in one will often cause fluctuations in the other. This relationship was highlighted by the recent economic crisis which saw cumulative effects in other spheres including world energy demand.

The World Water Council notes that the right to water "entitles everyone to sufficient, safe and acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic" functions. Yet, the consumption and production of water for personal and domestic purposes depend mainly on the water and water transformation processes available for industry and agriculture. Indeed, water use in industry and agriculture has become so critical within and between countries that the term virtual water has been coined to distinguish it as a unique topic of discussion.

Two recent events held in Washington, D.C. highlighted the importance of efficiency measures to mitigate global climate change's (GCC) effects. At the Design X Tomorrow: The Future of Technology and Sustainability and McKinsey & Company's launch of Unlocking energy efficiency in the U.S. economy, the common message was simple: increasing the efficiency of energy consumption should be a major priority.

Not too long ago, the concept of a Carbon Footprint was a foreign one. But as global climate change theory has gained traction in the general public, carbon footprint has become common lingo. Online calculators which account for ones personal carbon emissions have emerged as a popular tool for the climate-minded to track and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These calculators are so prevalent that if you search Google, you'll find a wide selection waiting for your personal energy and transportation data. Here's the problem though: not all carbon footprint calculators are created equal. So to help you parse out the good from the bad, and assess the accuracy of a quick and dirty approach, I tested nine different calculators.

If the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 works its way through the Senate and onto President Obama´s desk, it will mark a significant paradigm shift for the value we place on carbon emissions and uptake. As part of the developing legislation, large emitters would be required to pay for their emissions using a cap and trade scheme (explained here and here). For such a system to work, government regulator must have an accurate means of accounting for both carbon emissions and carbon storage and sequestration.