Fast Facts!
Here are some quick facts about the Earth, and our effect on it!
- Just under 1440 litres of oil is saved for every tonne of recycled office paper.
- One soda can that is recycled contains the same amount of energy as half a can of gasoline, and can power a television for 3 hours.
- Every tonne of carbon dioxide that is released in the air can be prevented by replacing every 75 watt light bulb in your home with energy efficient bulbs.
- The Earth's desert lands are expanding at significant rates. For example, in 20 years they have claimed over 350 kilometres in Mali. Still, governments do not want to spend money on projects like bettering agriculture and land management or planting trees.
- Many populations of commercial fish species have been depleted (some up to only one tenth of what they once were) by over fishing.
- Half of our tropical forests have already been destroyed by natural and human causes.
- In some regions, such as the Amazon, the conversion of forests to
other land uses is the single greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions,
accounting for at least 70 percent of total country emissions. - Water is a special substance, and only a leaking faucet can waste 13 litres of it every day!
- Homeowners use 10 times more chemicals per acre than farmers.
- There are 12, 000 species of plant life in a rain forest in Madagascar. 60 percent of these plants are only found on that island,
- Each second, a football field-sized section of thousand-year-old rain forest is destroyed.
- Tropical forests provide one in four products you can purchase at a pharmacy.
- If we scale the 4.6 billion years this planet has existed down to just 46 years, humanity has resided on Earth for approximately four hours. Furthermore, the industrial revolution began one minute ago. In that short time, we have killed off the last of numerous great species, and we threaten to do the same to millions of others, just for a little oil and wood.
- Almost three quarters of under water species are endangered, according to recent information.
- 17 trees are saved for every tonne of recycled paper, and a plastic bottle takes over 400 years to break down normally, so, recycle!
- And at last, a positive fact: the environment is reversible. It is possible to install environmentally-friendly technology and equipment in our homes and industrial buildings. We can clean rivers and oceans. We can protect endangered species, First, however, we must spread the word!