Figure 18.26: An Australian Brown Tree Snake perched on a post in Guam. ( 2 )and many in developing nations are already dammed. Groundwater is being used far more
rapidlythanitisbeingreplaced. Thesameistrueforfossilfuelsandmanymineralresources.
Forests are being chopped down; and wild fish are being overharvested. Human have caused
the rate of extinction of wild species to increase to about at least 100 times the normal
extinction rate.
In addition, the stability of the environment decreases as landscapes are transformed, or-
ganisms die out and the planet becomes polluted. Although many more people are alive in
the world than ever before, many of these people do not have secure lives. Many people in
the world live in poverty, with barely enough to eat. They often do not have safe water for
drinking and bathing. Diseases kill many of the world’s children before they reach five years
of age.
Sustainable Development
A topic generating a great deal of discussion these days issustainable development. This
isdevelopmentthatattemptstohelppeopleoutofpoverty, whileprotectingtheenvironment,
without using natural resources faster than they can be replaced. It is development that
allows people to use resources no faster than the rate at which they are regenerated.
One of the most important steps to achieving a more sustainable future is to reduce human
population growth. This has been happening in recent years. Studies have shown that the
birth rate decreases as women become educated. Educated women tend to have fewer and
healthier children.