Environment
As we begin a new millennium, human impacts on the environment are becoming both more apparent and more widespread.
Almost 40 percent of the earth's land surface has been converted to cropland or permanent pasture and half the planet's tropical forests have been destroyed or degraded.
The planet's protective ozone layer has been badly damaged, while record-high carbon emissions cause smog and acid rain, and contribute to global warming and climate change.
An estimated three unique plant, animal or other species go extinct every hour.
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