What is the current situation of the earth where human beings live?

It can be said that it is a great progress for human beings to pay attention to protecting the environment while pursuing their own development. In ancient times, the relationship between man and nature was unequal. Human beings are weak, limited by nature everywhere, but unable to change nature. Therefore, it has become a rare quality for human beings to regard nature as an enemy and the world as an enemy. The spirit of fools has been praised for thousands of years. With the advent of the industrial age and the continuous improvement of human science and technology, the relationship between man and nature has been reversed, and man has become a strong man, while "gentle nature" has become an easily injured object. High-purity chemicals, such as pesticides, paints and detergents, pose a great threat to the natural environment; Large-scale energy consumption has changed the composition of the atmosphere, thus changing the climate of the earth; With the improvement of sanitary conditions and the sharp increase of population, human activities have destroyed a large number of forests and wetland resources on the earth. As a result, "gentle nature" has become "ferocious nature", and everything imposed on it by human beings will eventually be returned to human beings. In areas where water and soil are polluted by high-purity chemicals, the incidence of deformed children and terminal diseases is much higher than that of normal people; Once the oil resources are exhausted, the quality of human life and the normal operation of society will inevitably encounter problems; Abnormal climate will inevitably bring floods or droughts, and famine will also be accompanied by various natural disasters. "Cruel nature" will make human beings weak again, and the relationship between human beings and nature will return to the starting point. In order to change this situation, human beings must protect "gentle nature" and prevent it from deteriorating. Protecting the environment is to protect human beings themselves, which is valuable knowledge after industrialization and extreme expansion of self-confidence. Countries all over the world are also aware of this problem. 10 years ago, 178 leaders gathered in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro to discuss environmental protection. The leaders plan to protect the earth's environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the welfare and development of mankind. 1997, 160 countries signed the Kyoto protocol aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Kyoto, Japan. However, the United States, the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, refused to implement it because emission reduction hindered economic development. Last year, at the Earth Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, world leaders and scientists continued to discuss plans to improve the environment. 10 years have passed, although mankind has made some progress in protecting the environment, the differences are still serious. What is the state of the earth now? What attitude should we take to meet the future? Seven gratifying advances in environmental awareness After a long period of publicity, environmental awareness has been accepted by many people and governments, and people have begun to care about the impact of human activities on nature, hoping that this impact will not worsen the natural environment. Governments began to deal with environmental problems through cooperation. The Rio de Janeiro Summit on 1992, the Kyoto Climate Conference on 1997, and the Johannesburg Summit last year all reflected the strengthening of the world's environmental awareness. Although the United States refuses to implement the Kyoto Protocol for its own benefit, which has caused great damage to future transnational environmental cooperation, the progress of international environmental protection efforts is an irreversible trend. The clean car came out. Hybrid electric vehicles have come out and run on the roads of Japan, Western Europe and the United States, which can greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The inventor of the "Super Car" company in Colorado, USA, is developing a zero-emission car. One of the cars is designed to use hydrogen as fuel. The inventor claims that it is unnecessary to bring drinking water when driving this car for a holiday, because it emits 100% pure water. The prospect of electric vehicles is also very promising, and it is likely to become the next generation of personal mobility tools. Banning 12 "Environmental Killer" At the United Nations General Assembly held in Stockholm, Sweden in 20001,it was decided to restrict the use of 12 chemicals containing carbon and chlorine preparations worldwide. This move is to protect air, water and soil resources from pollution. The meeting called for limiting or completely eliminating persistent organic pollutants such as chlorine, DDT pesticides and PCBs pesticides. 1987, the agreement prohibiting the use of chlorofluorocarbons has played a role, and the destruction of the earth's ozone layer has slowed down. The development of ecotourism The International Ecotourism Association, headquartered in the United States, described ecotourism as "responsible tourism that protects the environment and supports the welfare of local people". Eco-tourism and its profits have become an important channel to support the financial revenue sources of developing countries around the world, and it is growing rapidly at an annual rate of 30%. The natural environment, like cultural traditions, has become an important driving force to attract tourists. But environmentalists are still worried that the market economy function of ecotourism is far greater than the significance of protecting the environment. In the environmental protection movement of enterprises, large companies are increasingly aware that environmental protection can help them attract more customers. Xerox's "Waste-Free Plan" recycled 80% of the harmless solid waste produced by its factory in 2002. It also took out more than 60,000 tons of buried electronic waste and recycled it. This move by Xerox can save millions of dollars every year. Xerox's sustainable development method has been welcomed by environmental groups. Many large companies are also aware of the great role of environmental recycling. Shell, IBM and other world-renowned companies have launched their own "clean plan". The most important criterion for a greener building is to reduce energy consumption. Some houses in Europe began to install tiles to absorb solar energy, while "Trench" company in California began to install high-performance insulating glass on the roof of the office. The environmental protection design of the chesapeake bay Foundation headquarters office building in Annapolis, Maryland, USA is even better. The toilets in the office building are flushed with collected rainwater through a special water storage device. Use solar panels to power the office. Compared with ordinary buildings of the same area, this office building consumes only one-third of electricity and one-tenth of pure water. The United States and Europe have proved that the reduction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions has greatly improved the earth's surface environment. In 1980s, developed countries began to control the emission of sulfur dioxide to reduce the great harm of acid rain to the environment. They began to ban factories from using carbon as fuel, and instead used cleaner energy sources such as natural gas and purified carbon to generate electricity. Cars have also been modified, using higher gasoline grades, and the emission of nitrogen dioxide after combustion is greatly reduced. The harm of acid rain in the United States and western Europe has been greatly reduced. Take Britain as an example. In the past 15 years, the harm of acid rain has been reduced by half. Seven worrying signs of global warming Scientists have warned that increasing greenhouse gas emissions will make the climate change sharply and the sea level rise. According to the statistical report of the National Meteorological Administration, the average temperature in the three months from 20011to 2002 1 was the highest since 1895. Similarly, the global average temperature in these three months is also the highest since 1895. The direct threat of rising temperature is rising sea level, which will also lead to other extreme weather phenomena and natural disasters. There are many rivers on the earth, but there is one river that we don't realize, and that is the river formed by oil. Every day, the river formed by oil surrounds us, and the flow rate of this river is 1 100 cubic meter per second. Since 1990s, the world oil consumption has increased by 14% and is still increasing. Of the 24 billion tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere every year, 40% comes from the combustion of oil. In human history, the content of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the highest in 420 thousand years. Two-thirds of the world's oil reserves are concentrated in the Middle East, which has also become the most important factor of political and economic instability in this region. Sometimes, people will think that God loves the Middle East too much and has given it such a concentrated and rich liquid gold, but although oil is good, it has also brought endless conflicts and disputes to the region. Before the fuel consumption is exhausted, such conflicts and disputes seem endless. The disappearing wetlands Many people don't really know the importance of wetlands. Wetlands provide habitats for fish, many birds and amphibians, and become an important part of the ecosystem. In addition, wetlands have a strong ability to digest pollutants. However, worldwide, the area of wetlands is shrinking rapidly. Wetlands are doomed from the Amazon basin to Iraq. The root of the disappearance of wetlands is human agricultural activities, water conservancy activities and other development activities. Reclaim more arable land, build more dams and make wetlands disappear gradually. Scientists estimate that the area of wetlands has decreased by 50% in the past century. 3 1 years ago, 132 countries signed the Wetland Protection Treaty in Iran. But in fact, the binding force and function of the treaty are quite limited. The number of super dams is increasing. People think that building super dams shows their ability to transform nature. It is true that dams transform nature and provide electricity, but they also bring many adverse effects to the environment. The dam changed the natural flow direction of the river and the direction of natural flood discharge. Dams form unnatural reservoirs on the ground, which affects the natural distribution of fish. 1950, there were about 5,000 dams in the world, but by 2000, the number of super dams had soared to 45,000, and the scale was getting bigger and bigger, playing an increasingly important role in transforming nature. On average, two dams with a height exceeding15m are built every day, and most of the new dams are located in developing countries. Some dams are180m high and1500m wide. The cost of building such a dam is staggering. In order to flood a large area of land, countless species have to choose another habitat. There are fewer and fewer coral reefs, and a quarter of marine life is coral reefs. But in the past 50 years, the number of coral reefs has decreased by 27%. Only in 1998, the number of coral reefs in the world suddenly decreased by 16%. The most direct cause of coral reef death is the warming of the sea. Of course, the increase of solar radiation in the ocean and the savage fishing methods of fishermen are also important reasons for the disappearance of coral reefs. Overfishing human science and technology have made the fishing speed and quantity exceed the natural replenishment capacity of the ocean. As a result, the number of many fish has dropped sharply, and even endangered. At present, the total amount of fish in the ocean is decreasing at the rate of 1% per year. Scientists propose to designate specific sea areas as protected areas, stop fishing and give nature time and opportunity to save again. But humans seem unwilling to give nature such an opportunity. Restricting fishing will directly affect fishermen's income and quality of life. The fish market only pays attention to price and profit, and never considers species protection. Disposal of nuclear waste In 2003, more than 440 commercial nuclear reactors in the world will produce 1 1000 tons of nuclear waste. How to deal with these nuclear wastes poses a difficult problem to mankind. First of all, these nuclear wastes are likely to leak. Secondly, these nuclear wastes are likely to be obtained by terrorists and used for terrible purposes. There are more than 100 nuclear reactors in the United States, which produce about 25% of the world's total nuclear waste, while there are more nuclear waste dumps, including 1, 3 1. * * * More than 1 100 million people live near the nuclear dump 100 km. No matter where nuclear waste is transported, it will inevitably cause pollution to the local area. The more nuclear energy is used, the more similar pollution will occur. What's with the soot and the narrow bag? Seven shocked voices: "At present, human consciousness of protecting the earth's resources has never been improved, but the large-scale and extensive destruction of wildlife habitats has not slowed down. I am encouraged by the scientific and technological achievements of mankind, but the destruction of species diversity by these scientific and technological achievements makes me desperate. "