区域协作与环境保护

區域協作與環境保護RegionalCooperationwithReferencetoEnvironmentalProtection何建宗教授香港公開大學Prof.K.C.HoTheOpenUniversityofUniversityGlobalEnvironmentalIssueswithLocal,RegionalandWorldwideConcern:LossoflandresourcesandsoilerosionWatershortageandpollutionCoastalandmarineresourcesatriskAtmosphericpollutionConservationandbiodiversityDeteriorationofthequalityoflivingenvironmentOzoneLayerdepletionGlobalwarmingandclimatechangesDisastersLossoflandresources:•In2005,over70percentoftheEarth’slandsurfacewasseverelydamagedbytheconstructionofroads,mining,urbanizationandunplannedeconomicdevelopments.•LatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanregionarelikelytobethehardesthitwith80percentofthelandaffected,closelyfollowedbyAsiaandthePacificregion.•Moreover,75percentofvaluablehabitatsaredisturbedbyhumanactivitiesincludingagricultureandurbandevelopment,resultinginthelossofbiodiversityandotherenvironmentaldamages.SoilErosion:•Over10percent,between25-30millionha,oftheworld’sirrigatedlandsareclassedasseverelyderelict.•Soilerosionisakeyfactorinlanddegradation.Around15percentoftheEarth’slandcoveroranareabiggerthantheUnitedStatesandMexicocombined,isnowclassedasdegradedasaresultofhumanactivities.•Landdegradationmainlyresultsfromandwithwatererosionandspreadofagriculturalchemicals.Watershortageandpollution:•60percentoftheworld’slargest227rivershavebeenstronglyormoderatelyfragmentedbydamsandotherengineeringworks.•Halfoftheworld’sriversareseriouslydepletedandpolluted.•Insomecountries,groundwaterlevelsarefallingasaresultofover-abstraction.•Some80countries,amountingto40percentoftheworld’spopulation,weresufferingseriouswatershortagesbythemid-1990s.•Thereareabout4billioncasesofdiarrheaand2.2milliondeathsayear,equivalentto20jumbojetscrashingeveryday.Coastalandmarineresourcesatrisk:•Dischargesofuntreatedsewageisthebiggestrisktocoastalandoceanicpollution.•Aboutone-thirdoftheworld’sfishstocksarenowrankedasdepleted,overexploitedorrecoveringafterthreats,asaresultofover-fishing,harmfulalgalblooms(commonlyknownasredtides)andpollution.•Otherthreatstotheoceansincludeclimatechange,oilspills,dischargesofheavymetals,persistentorganicpollutants(POPs)andlitter.Atmosphericpollution:•Acidprecipitation,resultedfromemissionsofsulfurdioxides,nitrogenousoxides,carbonmonoxideandcarbondioxidefromburningoffuels,•Dirtyairaffectsthehealthofhumanbeingsaswellascausingsevereecologicaldamages.Manypeopledieofrespiratorydiseasesandlungcancerduetothepollutionofambientandindoorenvironments.•Thousandsoflakesintheworldhadreductionsinfishpopulationsduetoacidificationfromthe1950stothe1980s.•Sourcesofairpollutantsemissionincludepowergenerationplants,industriesandvehicles.Conservationandbiodiversityloss:•Forests,whichcoveraroundone-thirdoftheEarth’slandsurface(~3866millionha),havedeclinedby2.4percentsince1990.•Productionofroundwoodforfuelisthemaincauseofforestlossindevelopingcountries,althoughcommercialloggingfortheconsumptionindevelopedcountriesisoftenverydestructive•Mangroveforests,naturalseadefences,nurserygroundsforfishandprimenestingandrestingsitesformigratorybirds,arethreatened•Theintroductionofalienspeciesfromonepartoftheworldtoanotherhasemergedasasignificantthreatinrecentyearsalongsideclimatechange.Alienspeciesoftenhavenonaturalpredatorsintheirnewhomesandcanout-competenativespeciesforbreedingandfeedingsites.Deteriorationofthequalityoflivingenvironment:PopulationincreaseIncreasedurbanizationHousingTransportNoiseLandscapeandamenityReclamationNaturalandanthropologicalheritagesOzoneLayerdepletion:•Theprotectionoftheozonelayerhasbecomeoneofthemajorchallengesoverthepast20years.InSeptember2000,theAntarcticozoneholecoveredmorethan28millionkm3.Globalwarmingandclimatechanges:•Greenhousegas(CO2)emissionsareunevenlydistributedbetweencountriesandregions.OrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(OECD)countriescontributedmorethanhalfofemissionsin1998,withapercapitaemissionofaboutthreetimestheworldaverage.•Climatechangerepresentsanimportantadditionalstressonthoseecosystems•TheUnitedNationsFrameworkConventiononClimateChangeandtheKyotoProtocolarethekeypolicyinstrumentsadoptedbytheinternationalcommunitytotrytoaddresstheproblemofgreenhousegasesemissions.SeaLevelRiseESPOeffectsDisasters:•Itisestimatedthatthenumberofpeopleaffectedbydisastersclimbedfromanaverageof147millionayearinthe1980sto211millionayearinthe1990s.•Thenumberofpeopleaffectedbydisastersclimbedfromanaverageof147millionayearinthe1980sto211millionayearinthe1990s.Globalfinanciallossesfromnaturaldisasterswere,in1999,estimatedtocostashighasoverUS$100billion.•Believeitornot,somescientistshaveclaimedthatthelevelofweather-relateddisastershasclimbedduetoincreasedhuman-madeemissionsintoatmosphere.•Inthe1990s,90percentofthosekilledinnaturaldisasterswerevictimsofeventssuchasfloods,windstormsanddroughtswhicharecloselylinkedtorisesinwaterlevelandglobalclimatechange.THEEIGHTEENTHAPECMINISTERIALMEETING,HANOI,VIETNAM15-16November2006JOINTSTATEMENT:…..Ministersrecognizedtheimportanceofsustainabledevelopmentinmarineandcoastalresources,andtheopportunitie