With the UN Environmental Programme opening a conference today in Beijing to address water pollution in Asia, Reuters summarizes a UN report on the impact of population growth on East Asia’s oceans:
Growing populations and booming economies are threatening fragile coastal areas in East Asia, and the region’s coral reefs could face total collapse within 20 years, according to a new United Nations study.Although millions of people have been lifted out of poverty by economic development over the last 15 years, the impact of rapid growth on the environment has been severe, said the policy brief from the United Nations Environment Programme, a copy of which was seen by Reuters on Monday.
“Growing populations and their migration to coastal areas, dynamic economic growth, and rising global demands for fishery and aquatic products … have combined to exert tremendous pressure on East Asia’s marine environment and coastal resources,” it said. [Full Text]
A press release from UNEP that lays out the background and current issues to be addressed at the conference is here.
Technorati Tags: Beijing, China, water pollution
