TRANSCRIPT
It’s not just climate change we should be worried about according to researchers at the U-N’s University policy analysis centre.
Its new report 'Interconnected Disaster Risks' says our depletion of the world's resources is creating a chain of interconnected risks from which recovery might not be possible.
It's singled out six areas of particular concern - they include global warming, the massive drain on groundwater or aquifer supplies, the melting of glaciers, the extraordinary increase in space junk and the accelerating extinction of species and their ecosystems.
The result, researchers warn, could lead to a point where our futures become “uninsurable" with storms, floods and fires already making many homes uninsurable.
And it's a problem in Australia where more than half a million properties are predicted to become uninsurable by 2030, mostly because of flooding.
According to U-N University researcher and co-author Caitlin Eberle we need to embrace how interconnected we are in order to find solutions.
“What this means is to not think of humans and nature as separate entities, but really adopt a sort of coexistence with different natural processes. This would mean inviting more green spaces into our cities or allowing rivers to flow more naturally. And this would help a number of tipping points."
One of the primary concerns is the depletion of aquifers which are being drained quicker than they can be replenished.
Ground water, according to the U-N, supports 40 per cent of the world's agriculture and it says the draining of these underground supplies is already having an impact.
The report highlights the High Plains aquifer which runs under several U-S states which currently supports tens of billions of dollars worth of crops such as wheat and soy.
But by the year 2100, 40 per cent of the aquifer won’t support agriculture, challenging the food supplies of many countries who rely on American exports.
This is also a problem in the north-western region of India.
The report says the area supplies 85 per cent of the India’s rice and 85 per cent of its wheat, but 78 per cent of wells are over exploited, which will leave ground water at critical levels by 2025.
Ms Eberle explains.
“You can think of these wells like straws in a big drinking glass and as we're pulling that water further and further to the surface, the water level goes further and further down. And at some point it passes beyond reach of where the well can actually access that water. That's the risk tipping point. From here, we can understand that now that well can no longer pull the water to the surface and there's an increased chance that the crops could fail, farmers could lose their livelihoods and people could go hungry.”
The report says glaciers another source of fresh water are also disappearing at an accelerated rate.
Beyond a lack of water - another risk to the planet is one that is not easily seen - space junk left to orbit around our planet.
The European Space Agency says there are in excess of 170 million objects, any one of which could disable aircraft and potentially trigger a destructive chain, destroying vital satellite systems.
This extract of an animated graphic created for the U-N University show how space debris has become one of these tipping points.
“Take, for instance, our reliance on space infrastructure high above us. Thousands of satellites orbit the Earth, providing vital data for weather monitoring, early warning systems and communications. For decades, we've launched objects into space without managing the debris we create as a result. As we continue to pollute our orbit with satellites and debris, we will eventually reach a tipping point. One crash could set off a chain reaction of collisions that would continue until our space infrastructure is completely destroyed.”
Dr Zita Sebesvari is lead author of the report and the Deputy Director of the United Nations University.
“We heavily use satellites to monitor land use and land use changes, but also groundwater or melting glaciers. And this information is needed to better manage natural resources and better plan for saving biodiversity or saving habitats and also in connection (to) that species.”
The extinction of species is also interconnected according to Ms Sebesvari.
"It's called co-extinction of species. It's about ecological networks, species needing each other, species relying on each other, for example, because they are prey and predator, or for pollination or for habitat. One of the examples we have is the gopher tortoise, which is living in the southern US. It digs burrows which is used by more than 350 species for different reasons, for hiding, for nesting, for protection against heat and the like. So this species is vulnerable and its habitat is decreasing.”
The report says intergovernmental resolutions and strategies are key in finding solutions.
