KOTA KINABALU, 11 Feb 2009: Come 2050, humans’ existence will be severely threatened — unless there is another planet earth to cushion the blow!
This is the prediction of Asia-Europe Foundation’s regional environment centre executive director Marta Szigeti Bonifert.
She expects a demographic explosion by 2050 when there will be food and water shortage, and climate changes impacting the ecosystem, resulting in extreme weather events.
By that year, Bonifert warns, rapid population growth coupled with the natural resources becoming obsolete would endanger mankind whose consumption habits would have increased.
“If we continue the way we consume now, by 2050 we will need two Earths! But, there is only one Earth.
“Sustainability development needs to be practised by all communities to ensure a balance between the people and the ecosystem.
“Earth is a spaceship and there must be a certain amount of caring capacity,” she said in her talk, Transition to Sustainability through Cooperation at a hotel today.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun was also present at the talk.
Bonifert said currently, the world was facing other challenges such as price hikes of basic necessities and contamination.
“The challenges that we are facing are leading to growing social issues, slowdown in economy and there even seems to be changes in the patterns of infectious diseases.
“In order to have a sustainability development, we must have long-term thinking in meeting basic needs, a governance structure that is working on it, sharing natural resources and protecting the global environment,” she added. — Bernama
Daniel C says
It’s news like this that needs more reflection but instead we have page after page of over-analysed political drama.
It’s time for the nut to grow into an oak.