Six Informative Statistics
By Peter Schwartzman
{Note: This will be the
first in a series of list-oriented contributions. Readers are asked to submit
their own entries and rankings.}
350. This
number represents the acceptable concentration of CO2 in the
atmosphere (in parts per million, ppm) according to Dr. James Hansen, Head
of NASA. He argues vociferously that if we don’t get global levels to this
threshold soon, we risk an ice-free planet (which among other things would
increase global sea-level by more than 200 feet). Unfortunately, the
atmospheric levels of CO2 are well above this threshold and
have been so for some time; current levels are ~390 ppm. While the catastrophic
changes that would occur as a result of an ice-free planet aren’t likely in the
next 50-100 years, Hansen and others warn that 350 ppm must be the goal for the
near future. Otherwise, we might not be able to turn the process around (i.e.,
enough CO2 will be in the atmosphere to make large scale ice
sheet melting irreversible). Hansen calls for the immediate phase out of
coal, as the best means to reach this goal.
2,310,984 and
growing. Unbelievably, this is how many people are currently held in U.S.
prisons or jails. This is more than any nation in the world. In fact, though
the U.S. is home to less than 5% of the world’s population, it houses nearly
25% of all the world’s prisoners. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate
of all countries and almost fivefold higher than the world’s average (Senator
Jim Webb, of Virginia, in Parade, 3/29/09). Worse yet, 4.7% of
black men and 1.8% of Hispanic men are held in prison or jail, compared to only
0.7% of white men; these numbers more than double when one looks only at men
between the ages of 20 and 30 (U.S. Department of Justice). How can we claim to
be the “land of the free” with statistics like this?
9,237. Between Russia and the United States, this is
how many active nuclear warheads they have. All other countries combined have
less than 900. Just when you thought the Cold War was over, the threat of
nuclear war between India and Pakistan has many experts on high alert, and now
along comes North Korea into the fray. Noteworthy as well, these weapons are
much larger than the ones used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. But are we
safer?
The
U.S. and Russia have both reduced their nuclear arsenals since the 1990s but
the pace is too slow for many, and nuclear proliferation seems to continue
unabated. Just last year, the U.S. Congress voted to approve a nuclear
technology transfer deal with India. This agreement understandably raised red
flags in Pakistan, and recent U.S. bombings in Pakistan and Afghanistan (its
neighbor to the West) certainly doesn’t lessen their anxiety. Furthermore, what
is the U.S. doing providing nuclear technology to one of the few countries in
the world that hasn’t signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which dates
back to 1968? (North Korea, Israel and Pakistan are the other three
non-signees.)
1. What if I told you that there is one country in
the world that refuses to sign treaties and international agreements pertaining
to environmental health and protection? Would you correctly guess which one it
is? Consider these agreements. The Kyoto Protocol (which went into effect in
2005) attempts the “"stabilization of greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at
a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” Among
the very few countries that hasn’t ratified Kyoto, we find the United States,
Chad, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. The Biodiversity Convention (BC, adopted
in 1992) has three goals: (1) to conserve biodiversity worldwide; (2) to
sustainably use biological resources; and, (3) the “fair and equitable sharing”
of genetic resources (such as medicines derived from plants). Currently,
192 countries have ratified the BC except for the United States and the Holy
See (aka, the Vatican). The Stockholm Convention (entered into force in 2004)
now bans about 20 dangerous chemicals from use (including, atrazine, lindane, etc.).
Over 150 countries have ratified it, including most European nations. Italy,
Russia, and once again, the United States are among the notable exceptions.
(See more at: <chm.pops.int>.)
What about the Basel Convention? This international accord (commenced in 1992)
sets out to restrict the dissemination of hazardous waste across national
boundaries. Currently, the Convention has 172 national Parties. Surprise
(hardly), the United States isn’t one of them. So, the country that stands out
in tacit opposition to so many international agreements is yours truly, the
United States. Is it any wonder that the world’s people think the U.S. is not
“playing by the rules”? Also, how is it that we commonly hear that the U.S. is
the environmental leader in the world?
45
million. This is the conservative estimate of the number of people in
the United States who currently don’t have health insurance. When one adds the
underinsured, the number goes up several tens of millions more. Even among
those working, 20% lack health insurance (AP, 3/24/09). This is shameful in the
richest country in the world. As you may have heard, the United States is the
only industrialized country that doesn’t provide universal health coverage to its
citizens. Stranger still, we spend more on health care than any other
country, more than two times the median amount spent in other industrialized
countries. Is it any wonder then that many of us go to Canada or Mexico to buy
legal drugs? Is there any wonder why many lower and middle class people in the
U.S. use emergency rooms as their first line of health defense? How costly is
this practice? Additionally, perhaps there is a connection between the billions
that we spend on nuclear weapons and our collective inability to provide health
care to our people. Hmm, something to look into.
1.
One planet Earth. This may seem trite
but it bears repeating. This is all we have folks. We aren’t going to be moving
to the Moon (with no atmosphere) or Venus (with 90-times the atmosphere as
Earth) anytime soon. So, the more we poison, despoil, degrade, or destroy this
planet, the worse it will be for us and future generations. But you know the
more time and energy we spend cleaning up, caring for, and trying to live in a
sustainable way with our planet, the better our and our children's lives will
be. Lack of focus on these insights serves nobody well. There is no time
to waste. Is there?
6/4/09