The Earth Has a "Physical": The Assessment Isn't Good And the Prognosis Depends on Us

Linda B. Rimer, Environmental Stewardship Committee Chair

In Genesis, we read that "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Not since this time long ago has the earth, our planet home, had a good physical examination to determine its state of health - until now.

On March 30, 2005, the work of nearly 1,400 experts from 95 countries was published, representing over four years of research. This Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), had several goals: to conduct a global inventory of the state of our planet's ecosystems, to quantify the effect that human activities are having on those ecosystems, and to make suggestions for the future. (http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/index.aspx)

"At the heart of this assessment is a stark warning. Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted."

This statement, accompanying the report, comes from the governing board that guided the Millennium Assessment team. It included representatives of five international conventions, five UN agencies, international scientific organizations, governments, and leaders from the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and indigenous groups.

This article will attempt to describe only the very basic points about this effort, but everyone is encouraged to learn more about this unprecedented report. The obligation is especially great for those of us who believe that God created the earth and all that is part of the earth, and that God has called on us to be good stewards of the world he gave us; that is, to care for and protect the air, water, land, plants and animals in this world (ecosystems). There is another reason; God has commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. The negative impacts of failing earthly health will be felt far more quickly and to a greater degree by our 'neighbors' who live in poor, developing countries of the world than by those of us who live in wealthier nations.

As for the basics, this synthesis report is organized around five core questions. (1) How have ecosystems and their services changed? (2) What has caused these changes? (3) How have these changes affected human well-being? (4) How might ecosystems change in the future? (5) What are the implications for human well-being?

To extend the metaphor of humans and health exams, we all are encouraged to have physical examinations on a regular basis. During these visits, our physicians assess the individual systems that, working together, make up the state of our health. These systems include the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, nervous, musculoskeletal, and metabolic systems.

Likewise, this international team of scientists studied the "ecosystems" that, working together, make up the health of our planet and support human existence on the planet through the "ecosystem services" they provide.

An ecosystem is "a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit." (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, p. 9). Ecosystem services, as the term implies, are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include:

• Provisioning services, such as food, water, timber and fiber
• Regulating services that affect climate, floods, disease, wastes and water quality
• Cultural services that provide recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits
• Supporting services such as soil formation, photosynthesis, and nutrient cycling.

And while obviously not a religious document in any sense of the word, the Millennium Assessment - like the Bible that describes God's creation as including all plants, animals and humans, assumes that "people are integral parts of ecosystems and that a dynamic exists between them and other parts of ecosystems." (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, p. 9)

The MA Synthesis Report highlights four main findings:

• Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively in the last 50 years than in any other period. More land was converted to cropland in the 30 years after 1950 than in the 150 years between 1700 and 1850. More than half of all the synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, first made in 1913, ever used on the planet have been used since 1985. Experts say that this has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in diversity of life on earth, with some 10 - 30% of the mammal, bird and amphibian species currently threatened with extinction.
• Ecosystem changes that have contributed substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development have been achieved at growing costs in the form of degradation of other services.
• The degradation of ecosystem services could grow significantly worse during the first half of this century, creating huge barriers to important societal goals established by world leaders meeting at the UN in 2000, such as the eradication of hunger and poverty, improved health for the world's population, and environmental protection.
• The challenge of reversing the degradation of ecosystems while meeting increasing demands, can be met under some scenarios involving significant policy and institutional changes. However, these changes will be large and are not currently under way.

The MA Board of Directors concludes that it is possible to ease the strains that we are putting on natural systems, while continuing to use them to improve living standards for all people. They further conclude that it will take "radical changes in the way nature is treated . . . and new ways of cooperation between government, business and civil society. The warning signs are there for all of us to see. The future now lies in our hands."
http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/Article.aspx?id=58

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