Global Environmental Trends

This collection, from World Resources 1998-99, provides both an overview of progress to date on sustainable development and an in-depth look at certain especially critical issues, such as the extent of threats to the world's forests.

Additional information on each of the topics presented in these slides is available through the Global Trends section of our website.

Underlying data for each of the slides is embedded in the presentation source, available for download below. Note that you must have MS Powerpoint 97 or higher to view the source files.

Author: World Resources Institute

Email: maggie@wri.org

Home Page: http://www.wri.org/trends/

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Full presentation source (50 slides; zipped)
Global Commons slides only
Production and Consumption slides only
Feeding the World slides only
Population and Human Well-Being slides only
Resources at Risk slides only

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Population and Human Well-Being

• Global Population Continues to Rise
• Stabilization Remains a Challenge
• Different Assumptions, Different Projections
• Fertility Declines, Real and Projected
• Rapid Growth in Low Income Economies
• The Number of Poor Continues to Grow
• Growing Disparities in Incomes among Regions
• Urban Growth Spurt Continues
• Africa and Asia are Urbanizing Fastest
• People on the Move
• Progress Toward Democracy
• More Children Are Attending School
• More Adults Can Read

Feeding the World

• Yields Are Up, But Growth is Slowing
• Yields Are Up, But Growth is Slowing
• Progress in Feeding the World Has Varied Widely by Region
• Progress in Feeding the World Has Varied Widely by Region
• Despite Gains, Millions Go Hungry
• Degraded Soil Means Less Food
• Food Supply Increasingly Relies on Irrigation
• Farmed Fish Are a Growing Share of the Global Fish Harvest

Production and Consumption

• What Do Industrial Economies Use?
• Paper Use is Growing Worldwide
• Paper Recycling: Rising Volume, Growing Importance

Global Commons

• Vehicle Numbers Are Rising Dramatically
• Motor Vehicle Use Is Highest in Developed Countries
• Surface Temperatures Have Warmed Over the Past Century
• Greenhouse Gases
• Per Capita CO2 Emissions Are Small in Developing Countries
• Developed Nations Have Altered the Atmosphere Most
• Stabilizing CO2 Means Steep Emission Cuts Eventually
• Success Story: CFC Production Has Fallen Sharply
• Backsliding: Halon Production Is Rising Again
• Excess Nutrients May Spur Algal Blooms
• Excess Nutrients May Spur Algal Blooms
• More Fertilizer: More Food, But More Pollution Too
• SO2 Emissions in Asia Could Triple
• NOx Levels Are Still a Problem in Europe and North America

Resources at Risk

• Forest Loss Is Severe in the Tropics
• Amazon Deforestation Remains High
• Many of Earth’s Forests Have Been Cleared or Degraded
• Water Demand is Growing, But Supplies Are Limited
• Agriculture Dominates Water Use, But Its Share Will Decline
• Low-Income Nations Are Especially Vulnerable to Water Scarcity
• River Habitats Have Been Heavily Altered
• How Much Are Nature’s Services Worth?
• Reef Threats Are Extensive
• Some Fish Stocks Have Collapsed from Overfishing
• Bird Populations Are Under Siege Worldwide