| Summary: | Book Chapter Newscientific evidence indicates that many global ecosystems are reaching dangerous thresholds that raise the stakes for policymakers 0NWI, 2001). For example,the Arctic ice cap has already thinned by 42 percent, and 27 percent of the world's coral reefs have been lost, suggesting that some of the planet's keyecological systems such as forests and mangrove systems are in decline. Environmentaldegradation is also leading to more severe natural disasters, which havecost the world $608 billion over the last decade-as much as in the previous four decadescombined 0NWI, 2001). With many lifesupport systems at risk of long-term damage, the choice before today's political leaders is historic, even revolutionary, in nature: whether to move- forward rapidly to build a sustainable economy or to riskallowing the expansion in human numbers, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions,and the loss of natural systems to undermine the economy. The Japan Society for the promotion of Science in collaboration with Kenyatta University
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