A very interesting interview by New Scientist with James Lovelock,originator of the Gaia theory who at 90 is schedualed to go into space this year and will be releasing a new book as well. A busy man yet.
"Coastal regions, areas that are home to a large and growing proportion of the world's population, are undergoing environmental decline... population factors play a significant role. Today, approximately 3 billion people — about half of the world's population — live within 200 kilometers of a coastline. By 2025, that figure is likely to double....As coastal communities grow, sewage can become a threat to local waterways: Demand often exceeds available sewage treatment, and much of the sewage is dumped without being treated. Bathing in or ingesting sewage-contaminated water can cause infections and transmit diseases such as cholera, particularly among children. In developing countries, more than 90 percent of wastewater and 70 percent of industrial wastes are discharged in coastal waters without being treated." http://www.prb.org/Publications/PolicyBriefs/RippleEffe...dCoastalRegions.aspx
I'm an optimist. Humankind will survive because rising sea levels will slowly inundate half the world's population living in coastal cities and disease will be epidemic. It will happen so gradually that most won't move inland before it's too late. Enough humans will survive in isolated highlands to perpetuate the species.
