The future of energy

It has always been exciting to anticipate what the future scenario with regard to energy will be. There are already some indications of what is to come in the solar roofs of Japan and Germany, in the wind farms of Spain. Most importantly, it is reflected in the widely varying growth rates of various energy sources, according to Vital Signs 1999, a publication of the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, DC, USA.

The road ahead

After World War II, average life expectancy rates have been increasing all over the world. This means a person born today will live 20 years longer than a person born in 1950. However, in African nations like Zimbabwe and Botswana the situation is very different. Life expectancy has been dipping below 60 years. Among the main culprits in both nations is AIDS -- one in every four adults is infected and average life expectancy has dropped to pre-1950 levels.

The hazy future

In the fight against increasing pollution from vehicular emissions, new alternatives to fossil fuels have emerged. Till recently diesel was considered an environment-friendly fuel. However, researchers have now proved that diesel is a masked killer. New mediums like fuel cells and compressed natural gas are the energy sources of the next millennium.

Forests: lost in the wild

Forests are the planet's largest and most important ecosystems. They exert a profound influence on the structure and function of the human habitat locally and globally -- providing more than environmental and material services. In short, they help conserve the human habitat. Unfortunately, in the post-industrialisation period humans have failed miserably to live in tune with nature. Increasing population pressures, urbanisation, and logging activities have caused damage from which forests may never recover.

Freshwater: a scarce resource

Only 2.5 per cent of all the world's water is fresh, that is, fit for human consumption, agriculture and industry. However, in several parts of the world, water is being used at a much faster rate than can be replenished by rainfall. The United Nations warns that the shortage of freshwater could be the most serious obstacle to producing enough food for a burgeoning world population, reducing poverty and protecting the environment.

Big dams, more displacement

Protests against large dams have gained momentum in recent years the world over. Projects in India and China displace large numbers of people because of the high population densities of those countries. While China has displaced the largest number of people, in India, too, relief and rehabilitation programmes offered by the government have always seemed inadequate. Thousands displaced by such projects are yet to be resettled amicably.

Transport travails

With the increasing human population, the number of cars hitting the roads have gone up. More cars generate more air pollution, increase traffic congestion and affect public health. In the US, for example, more than 80 per cent of the people commute

Genetically modified, and spreading

 Cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops is increasingly becoming popular. Supporters of biotechnology feel that GM crops are the answer to the problem of food security and will curb the excessive use of harmful chemical pesticides.

Call of the ocean

Not only do oceans cover more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface they play a crucial role in the chemical and biological balance of life on the planet. They are vital to our food security, commerce and transportation. But human activity has troubled the oceans' health. Many fish species have been harvested to a point that their populations are threatened. The coastal mangrove forests of Asia have been destroyed by shrimp farming.

A glut of nitrogen

Nitrogen is the basic building block of plant and animal proteins, and is essential to all forms of life. But studies in recent times have shown that human activity, including agriculture, energy production and transport, have overwhelmed the natural nitrogen cycle. This has resulted in excess nitrogen in the ecosystem, causing a range of ill effects from reduced soil fertility to toxic algal blooms.