New UN Atlas Reveals Environmental Devastation

[sintax]

New UN atlas reveals environmental devastation

by Staff

Highlights from One Planet Many People

Africa
The impact of the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone on the environment of neighboring Guinea is highlighted in the story of Parrot's Beak. In 1974 the area was well forested with the local villages and agricultural areas showing up as patches of light gray in a near continuous sea of green. The influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees has now led to widespread deforestation as trees are felled for fuel, construction materials and more crops. This is clearly seen in the latest satellite image from 2002 with the green colour in retreat and a grey landscape advancing in all directions.

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Asia Pacific
The dramatic disappearance of what was once the world's biggest date palm forest is highlighted. Along the Shatt al-Arab estuary in Iraq and Iran, there once stood up to 18 million palms or a fifth of the world's date trees. War, pests and the salting-up of the region as a result of dams and the desiccation of the Mesopotamian marshlands have now taken a heavy toll.

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A similar, huge expansion is seen for Delhi, India's capital. In 1975, the city had a population of 4.4 million or 3.3 per cent of India's urban population. By 2000, the city had well over 12 million inhabitants. By 2010, it is set to rise to nearly 21 million. The latest satellite images show Delhi's growth concentrated in the suburbs of Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon.

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The growth of Las Vegas, set in the Nevada desert, has been spectacular since the early 1970s. In the 1950s it was home to just over 24,000 people. Today, the population tops one million, not including tourists, and may double by 2015. The images reveal how the city has spread in all directions displacing the few vegetated lands and replacing natural desert with housing and irrigated golf courses. Lake Meade, formed by the Hoover Dam, dropped 18 meters from 2000 to 2003. Despite the regions third worst drought in recent history, new golf courses continue to be developed.


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[expatriot]

1. DAMN ENVIRO WHACKOS UN STANDS FOR UNIVERSAL NAZIS

oops i thought i was trolling on FR again....