1.1. Overloading of the atmosphere and of ocean waters with carbon.There is a lot of carbon in the air.
1.2. Solutions: Replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Reforestation. Reduce emissions from agriculture. Change industrial processes.
1.3. Carbon overloading is only one form of air pollution caused by burning coal, oil, gas and wood.
2. Species extinction
2.1. On land, wild animals are being hunted to extinction for bushmeat, ivory, or "medicinal" products
2.2. Not only do species inherently deserve to exist, they also provide products and "services" essential to human survival.
2.3. Solutions: Concerted efforts need to be made to prevent further loss of biodiversity. Protecting and restoring habitats is one side of this - protecting against poaching and wildlife trade is another.
3. Soil degradation.
3.1. Some problems may be from poor land use; there is a long list of ways in which soils are damaged. Approximately 12 million hectares of agricultural land per year are severely degraded.
3.2. Solutions: There is a wide range of soil conservation and restoration techniques, from no-till agriculture to crop rotation and water retention to terrace construction.
4. Deforestation.
4.1. Solutions: Conserve of what's left of natural forests, and restore degraded areas by replanting with native tree species.
4.2. Species-rich wild forests are being destroyed, especially in the tropics, often to make way for cattle ranching, soybean or palm oil plantations, or other agricultural mono-cultures.
5. Overpopulation
5.1. The human population continues to grow rapidly around the world. Humanity entered the 20th century with 1.6 billion people; right now, we are about 7.5 billion. Estimates put us at nearly 10 billion by 2050. And World population growth, combined with rising wealth, is putting increasing pressure on essential natural resources, such as water.
5.2. Solutions: Experience has shown that when women are empowered to control their own reproduction and access basic social services and education, the average number of births per woman drops precipitously.
