Environment

This month, we’re talking about food on Youthink!, and how so many people don’t have enough. I recently came across a couple of blogs on the topic of food security—one had some good news, and the other not so good. Let’s start with the bad news first.

Deforestation is happening at alarming rates in many parts of the world. We often hear about the disastrous impact this can have in terms of climate change and biodiversity loss. Deforestation also poses a huge threat to food security. In fact, did you know that in the developing world, 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their food, fuel, and livelihoods? This blogger has seen deforestation and its consequences happen first-hand in his hometown.

Did you know August 16-22 is World Water Week? This annual event is dedicated to the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. The theme this year is: “Accessing Water for the Common Good."

Around the globe, access to water is becoming harder and harder for many people, because of high demand and erratic availability. Still, there are some factors that provide an opportunity to improve things. For example, the global economy, as well as many local economies, are growing several times faster than population growth. And this growth might help people and governments to deal with problems and increase productivity. (Of course now the world's current financial turmoil may have a negative impact on this).

I'm still here at the Youth Assembly, and learning of different organizations and amazing projects all the time. One such organization is Roots and Shoots -- a project founded by Dr. Jane Goodall, that aims to empower youth to make a difference in their own communities. The two presenters from Roots and Shoots asked the audience to think about these questions:

- What kinds of air/water/land pollution do you see in your community?
- Do you know of any endangered plant species in your community?
- Do you know of any endangered animal species in your community?

Highlights of the essay by Guillermo Recio Guajardo (Mexico) who is one of the eight finalists of The World Bank Essay Competition 2009.

Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico, is known for its enormous diversity of natural resources with over 7,000 plant species, or one fourth of all the botanical species in Mexico, that includes various species of forest resources, such as pine, fir, and ash forests.

Widespread deforestation for commercial gains is having serious repercussions on the socio-economic conditions of the indigenous people of this region. Lack of forest cover has led to a decrease in the rainfall in that region and has led to extreme fluctuations in temperature. These conditions have led to the desertification of that region which has seriously affected agriculture. In the absence of their traditional occupation, the locals have been forced to turn to sawmills for their livelihoods, although they are witnessing its consequences! Some of the other impacts of this loss in livelihood include migration, malnutrition, and drug trafficking.