Keep Earth Beautiful |
In the past and nowadays our life relies on products coming out of a plant. A) Many homes, furniture are made from wood products. B) Or think about plants like cotton and flax (linen) to make cloth for clothing, towels, bedding. C) We use wool and leather coming from animals eating plants. C) Not to forget our daily food. Humans and animals eat a variety of plants. D) Still many humans cook with wood. E) Some humans are using plants/food to run cars and trucks with bio-fuels. + + +(philosophical idea: is it more important to have enough food for humans, + + + or to drive a car with biofuels?) F) Many humans still ask for a daily portion of meat - meat from animals that eat plants for food. More people on Earth need more plants! The global demand for plant matter is increasing. Ten years ago humans have asked for 20 percent of the plant material Earth currently produces (the photosynthetic capacity of the land). Nowadays, that number increased to 26 percent. Each person is using more plant products Earth population has increased. Look at the rate that the Earth can produce plant carbon and how much is used  This map shows the comparison. The colors represent the ratio between the amount of carbon people require and the amount of carbon Earth produced. At the top of the scale (dark red), the population needs at least ten times more plants than are grown locally. At the lower end of the scale (dark green), the land produces more vegetation that the local population needs. Gray areas are places where people in the area use less than 10 percent of the vegetation growing there. In the center of the scale (pale yellow) people use most of the vegetation. The greatest use of plant products occurs in highly populated regions, like Asia and large cities, and places that can not produce enough to support the population’s requirements for plants, such as the African Sahel. These areas use everything they grow and still need vegetation from elsewhere. These areas are very vulnerable to changes in climate. There areas are vulnerable to a reduced production, to a disruption in transportation, because difficulties to bring food and other plant products to these areas ca result in hunger and starvation. The map shows the pressure on local ecosystems, the use per capita would show a different story. People living in the US use 6 metric tons of carbon (vegetation) per person, per year. People in South-central Asia use 1 and a quarter metric ton per year. Because the United States produces more than it requires, the ratio between usage and vegetation is low. South-central Asia uses less per person, but it has a high population that collectively require more carbon than the land produces, and so must import products from other regions.  Over a 10 year period, people were using about five percent more of Earth’s vegetation. More population will increase that usage. Only a science based well done land management with Nature conservation, and well educated farmers, ranchers and consumers will produce the highest possible survival rate for humans! Humans are increasing both population and per capita consumption - to check vegetation and land use on a global scale is very important. Protecting biological diversity is essential for human well-being! WHY? Changing weather patterns will kill a lot of plants, or force them to move North. (But the Arctic is thawing with record speed) 1) Biodiversity provides food security 2) Biodiversity is important to human health 3) Biodiversity helps with clean air and water and contributes directly to local livelihoods. Work with B+S+B, because we need as many help as possible to stop the losses of biodiversity. It is of fundamental importance for life on this planet! Send us an email with your comments or questions! edu@keepearthbeautiful.org  When we produce air pollution -  we lower the quality of our air, shorten our life! If air pollution gets too high humans get sick or die. |
Humans and all mammals need healthy air to survive! |
| This is an Archaeopteris tree, the first modern tree. Eons ago, it covered most parts of Earth, balancing CO2 levels. Members of Bear Springs Blossom Nature Conservation have a great mission: Information and Education for all who are interested in Nature conservation. Learn to understand Nature! Informed people make better decisions! We have only this one little planet EARTH to live on! Let's take care of it, save it for the next generation. BSBNCG Inc. is an international charitable non-profit-Organization 501(c)(3) B+S+B Nature education online: We offer updated Nature education to protect the next generation! Think about and see how wonderful our Earth was created.. Live in Harmony with Nature + learn to understand Nature! |