The world is at an environmental crossroads where a choice between greed and humanity will decide the fate of millions of people for decades to come, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the launch of its third Global Environment Outlook report last week.
The GEO-3 report aims to prompt world leaders into action ahead of the Johannesburg Earth Summit in August. Reuters Environmental News Service said the report painted four possible scenarios, which ranged from the greed-driven "markets first" future to the caring and sharing "sustainability first" approach. With the first, 3 per cent of the Earth's surface will disappear under concrete by 2032, more than half the population will live with drought and 70 per cent of the remaining land and animals will be under threat. If the latter prevails, cities and highways will eat up less land, drought will be kept at bay by better water management and the pressure on land and animals will stabilise.
"Decisive action can achieve positive results. Our motto for Johannesburg is: planet, people, prosperity," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP executive director. "We need a concrete action plan, concrete projects and above all a clear political declaration. In the decade since the first world Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 58 species of fish, one mammal and one bird species have become extinct and a remaining quarter of the world's mammals and one in eight of its birds are on the critical list.
•The Organic Centre in Rossinver, Co Leitrim, has just announced a strategic link with the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA) in Britain which will give members of both organisations free access to each other's gardens. The HDRA has three organic display gardens in Ryton, just outside Coventry in the Midlands, Yalding in Kent and Audley End in Essex and has the largest membership of any organic organisation in Europe.
The Organic Centre is Ireland's leading centre for education and information on organic farming and gardening. It has a heritage garden, a children's garden, a taste garden, a witches' garden, a willow sculpture area and a sunflower maze.
The Organic Centre also runs courses on organic and environmental topics and has a comprehensive organic seeds sales catalogue. "This link with HDRA is part of our strategy of building a network of relationships with like-minded organisations", says John O'Neill, manager of the Organic Centre. See www.theorganiccentre.ie and www.hdra.org.uk
•The Irish Wildlife Trust is co-ordinating a community education day in Howth, Co Dublin, to mark World Oceans Day next Saturday. The day's events will include guided walks on the seashore with representatives from the Irish Wildlife Trust, the Whale and Dolphin Group, Coastwatch Ireland and Birdwatch Ireland.
Popular children's artist Don Conroy will give a workshop in the afternoon and information on how we can conserve and protect our oceans will be available. Tel: 01-6768588 for more details.