These will be the biggest environmental issues in 2024

In July 2022, the United Nations (UN) assembly proclaimed that everyone has the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. They called on all nations to collaborate with various stakeholders to uphold this right.

This significant recognition, which was endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council a year prior, is the culmination of years of advocacy by environmentalists, activists, indigenous communities, scientists, and other civil society members.

However, we are still far from achieving a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment globally. Environmental issues appear to be worsening each year, with states seemingly unable to move beyond mere declarations to actual problem-solving.

Though many environmental problems exist and most relate to each other, some, because of their severity, deserve more attention than others. This year, humanity will face these ten biggest ones.

Impacts of climate change

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) records 2023 as the warmest year in the last 174 years. They also predict that 2024 could be even worse. According to the WMO, extreme weather conditions have accompanied this alarming record, leaving "a trail of devastation and despair" in various parts of the planet.

Indications suggest that the use of fossil fuels will continue to increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels. Record temperatures are predicted to be reached on both land and ocean surfaces. Predictions also include a rise in sea levels, a new record of melting in the polar caps, and an increase in the number of extreme weather phenomena such as droughts, floods, superfires, cyclones and more.

The Dubai Climate Summit (COP28) concluded, and almost 200 countries acknowledged the need to abandon fossil fuels. The agreement outlined that to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial values, they must reduce overall global GHG emissions by 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035 compared to 2019, and achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions in 2050.

Biodiversity loss

Human activity, especially intensive land use, pollution and climate change, is causing plant and animal species to disappear at an increasingly rapid rate. According to a WWF report, mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians populations decreased by an average of 68% between 1970 and 2016. Furthermore, over 500 species of land animals are nearing extinction.

In December 2022, the Montreal Biodiversity Summit concluded as 190 governments signed a historic agreement to take concrete actions. The agreed actions aim to protect 30% of the land and sea surface by 2030 and stop the sixth mass extinction of wildlife living on Earth.

The '30x30' initiative plots to conserve biological diversity, achieve sustainable consumption of biological diversity components, and facilitate a fair and equitable distribution of benefits derived from the use of natural resources. However, it also receives criticism for the potential impact on native populations that live in areas marked to become protected areas and national parks.

Plastic pollution

The UN has noted that plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reduce the ecosystems' capacity to adapt to climate change, directly affect the livelihoods of millions of people, and affect their food production capacity and social well-being.

The enormity of the problem is striking: the sea receives 200 kilos of plastic every second, remnants of this material litter every corner of the planet, from the Arctic to Antarctica. People have discovered pieces of plastic in the sea as deep as 10,000 meters, and this type of pollution affects some 700 marine species.

Microplastics (pieces less than 5 millimeters in diameter) further complicate the situation: scientists have detected particles in the lungs and blood of living humans. These particles pervade everywhere, such as in salt, beer, fruits, and water, including both tap and bottled. Groups of scientists have initiated a crusade demanding governments to take immediate action to cease plastic usage and to find solutions for eliminating the plastics polluting the oceans.

Deforestation

In 2022 alone, the destruction of almost 20,000 square kilometers of vegetation occurred in the Amazon, a surface similar to Israel's. Around the world, individuals cut down an area equivalent to 300 football fields every hour. If these rates continue, the world could lose 90% of its forests in the next seven years.

The government has not yet begun to fulfill its promises to halt and reverse forest loss by the end of this decade. In fact, in 2022, the planet lost primary tropical forests exceeding 41,000 square kilometers, an area similar to Switzerland. This forest loss generated 2.7 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the amount that India annually emits from the use of fossil fuels.

In 2023, a significant decrease in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon occurred, thanks to the measures that the president of the country, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, approved. Thus, after taking office, he made a bold promise: to end deforestation by 2030, which is good news.

Air pollution

The atmosphere received an emission of CO2 that, contrary to scientists' persistent claims for reduction, set a new record in 2023 at about 40.9 billion tons, the annual report from the 'Global Carbon Project' stated under the umbrella of COP28. Poor air quality triggers serious health issues, leading to 7 million premature deaths each year.

The use of fossil fuels emits the majority of CO2 emissions, 36.8 billion tons, setting a new record and increasing by 1.1% more than the previous year. These figures confirm the maintained distance with respect to global climate objectives.

India increased CO2 emissions in 2023 by 8.2% and China by 4.0%, whereas the European Union, the United States, and the rest of the world reduced them by -7.4%, -3.0%, and -0.4% respectively. Nonetheless, a recent scientific study predicts a decrease in CO2 emissions on Earth beginning this year, due to the expedited introduction of renewables and electric cars.

Rising sea levels

Since the end of the 19th century, the worldwide sea level has risen by more than 20 centimeters. In particular, this increase has accelerated in recent years. Even if we halt all greenhouse gas emissions immediately and completely, the best case scenario still would see the sea level continuing to rise between 30 and 60 centimeters by the end of the century.

Two main factors are causing the sea level to rise: the melting of large masses of ice in the Arctic (especially in Greenland) and Antarctica, and what experts term 'thermal expansion.' When ocean water warms, it also increases its volume.

Scientists assert that we must stop global warming (and therefore the emission of GHGs) to prevent rising sea levels from flooding extensive areas of present land, including cities inhabited by hundreds of millions of people.

Ocean acidification

Excess CO2 has serious effects on the oceans and endangers the plant and animal species that inhabit them. This silent, but devastating problem occurs, as its effects are just as alarming as climate change.

The absorption of CO2 by sea water results in this process, which primarily stems from human activities' emissions into the atmosphere, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. The oceans absorb approximately 30% of the CO2 emitted by this activity.

The alteration in the ocean water's chemistry detrimentally affects marine life, especially organisms with calcareous shells and skeletons like corals, plankton, mollusks, and certain crustaceans. This severe impact extends to the marine food chain and can cause cascading effects on biodiversity and marine ecosystems. Moreover, it also potentially causes serious problems for fisheries and global food security.

Agriculture emissions

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) asserts that agricultural activity generates a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions greatly contribute to global warming and climate change. The IAEA also highlights that agriculture simultaneously suffers from and contributes to climate change.

Intensive agricultural activities, on one hand, account for approximately 30% of total GHG emissions, the UN reports, primarily due to the application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste. Conversely, these gases significantly impact the sustainability of agricultural production systems.

According to the FAO, intensive agriculture uses 70% of the fresh water consumed worldwide each year. Many experts recommend sustainable organic agriculture, which focuses on caring for the environment and optimizing resources. In this agricultural model, characteristics include crop rotation, using ecological products, minimizing water use, and refusing fertilizers and any toxic products.

Lack of water

Countries where two billion people live suffer from water scarcity. The UN states that this figure could increase to half of the world's population by 2025. Over 3 billion people don't have access to drinking water, the frequency and severity of water-related disasters are increasing, while many factors, magnified by climate change, are causing rampant degradation of global water resources.

A UN report details that the human use of water, pollution and degradation of aquatic ecosystems are accelerating due to factors such as population growth, economic growth, the climate emergency, land use change, tasks of extractive industry, inefficient use of water, and poor planning, regulation, and enforcement.

The global water crisis presents one of the most pressing problems humanity faces, which is why scientists demand a "solid and rapid" global response. They suggest imposing fees on companies that pollute water and using that revenue to protect and restore the health of freshwater ecosystems. Other proposals include turning to nature-based solutions like the restoration and construction of wetlands.

Illegal minery

The spreading of this activity, especially in the last two decades, links to the increase in the rising price of minerals. It accounts for approximately 20% of the world's production of gold, diamonds, tin, and tantalum, and 80% of precious stones.

The UN estimates that artisanal and small-scale gold extraction employs some 20 million miners in more than 80 countries. These miners include 4 to 5 million women and children who use mercury, a substance that can cause irreversible brain damage and contaminate ecosystems, to extract gold nuggets from alluvial sediments.

Illegal mining also causes deforestation and reduces biodiversity in different areas of the planet, especially in the Amazon. Moreover, it pollutes rivers used for transporting machinery and releasing minerals, and where all types of substances and waste get dumped. The UN demands that States take action against these illicit activities.

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