Global carbon emissions 46pc higher than 1990 level: UN Report

Chennai:

The environmental sustainability is under severe threat and the growth in global emissions of carbon dioxide is accelerating, and emissions currently are more than 46 per cent higher than their 1990 level. according to the Millennium Development Report 2013.

The report states that forests, which are a safety net for the poor, are continuing to disappear at an alarming rate. Overexploitation of marine fish stocks is resulting in diminished yields. Although more of the earth’s land and marine areas are under protection, birds, mammals and other species are heading for extinction at an ever faster rate, with declines in both populations and distribution.

It also states that although the mortality rate for children has dropped by 41 per cent in the past twenty years, the world is still short of reaching the target of a two-thirds reduction. The report confirms that child deaths are concentrated in the poorest regions, and in the first months of life.  To turn this around, the report recommends that countries, including India and Nigeria which account for more than a third of all deaths in children under five,  concentrate their efforts on the regions where the poorest live.

The report also states that the maternal mortality ratio has declined by nearly a half since 1990 but the world is still short of the MDG target of reducing the ratio by three quarters.  Only half of women in developing regions receive the recommended amount of care they need during pregnancies.  The report shows that reducing the birth rate among adolescents and addressing child marriage would be a big help.

New HIV infections are declining but the global target of ensuring universal access to antiretroviral theory for everyone who needs it is going to be missed unless a lot more is done in the next 900 days, the report states.

It also states that the number of out-of-school children has declined globally by almost half from 102 million to 57 million, further reductions have stalled making it unlikely that the world will reach the target of universal primary education by 2015.

The report also states that close to 2 billion people have gained access to latrines in recent years, we’re still going to miss the target of halving the population without access to toilets. The report shows that one of the best ways to address this is to stop open defecation, a practise which is still widespread in India.

Interestingly, a biggest concern is the amount of official development aid which dropped 4 per cent in real terms from 2011 to 2012 after having already dropped 2 per cent in real terms the year before. This point can’t be emphasized enough. With so much around the world to do in the next 900 days, there’s not enough money in most countries to do the things that are necessary to achieve the MDGs.