Some facts we need to remember

Today I came across a speech by Peter Raven given to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Meeting in 2002. Their theme that year was "Science in a Connected World" and the speech is entitled "Science, Sustainability, and the Human Prospect". The numbers therefore may be a little out of date but the basic picture outlined below is accurate. Take a look at this excerpt:

The consequences of our environmental problems are severe. About a quarter of humanity survives on less than $1 per day. Depending on the criteria used, one-eighth to one-half of the world's people are malnourished. Some 14 million babies and young children under the age of four starve to death each year. In the world's poorest societies, women and children are uneducated and spend their time foraging for firewood or water. Such relationships are inevitable in a world in which 20% of us control 80% of the resources, and 80% of us have to make do with the rest.

Among the nations of the world, the role of the United States has become particularly dominant. Although we contain just 4.5% of the world's people, we control 25% of the world's wealth and produce 25 to 30% of its pollution. We are dependent on the stability and productivity of nations all over the world to maintain our level of affluence. It is remarkable, therefore, that the richest nation is the lowest per capita donor of international development assistance of any industrialized country.

Fourteen million babies starve EACH YEAR. Think what you would go through if one of your own children starved and you had to watch it. Now realize that every one of those babies had a mother - had a father.