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New York, 31 January 2012 (MAP)
A United Nations’ report warned on Monday that the world is running against the clock to secure enough food, water and energy in order to meet the needs of a swiftly growing population and to avoid condemning up to 3 billion people into poverty.
The demand for resources will soar exponentially, as the world’s population will likely increase to nearly 9 billion by 2040 from 7 billion now, and the number of middle-class consumers will rise by 3 billion over the next 20 years.
By 2030, the world will need at least 50% more food, 45% more energy and 30% more water, according to U.N. estimates, while a changing environment is making it harder to supply.
The United Nations’ high-level panel on global sustainability added that if the world fails to tackle these issues, it risks sending up to 3 billion people into poverty.
Efforts towards sustainable development are slow and not deep enough, as well as suffering from a lack of political will, the U.N. said.
“The current global development model is unsustainable. To achieve sustainability, a transformation of the global economy is required,” it underlined.
The U.N. also said that improved lifestyles and changing consumer habits have put natural resources under increasing strain, despite the fact that the number of people living in absolute poverty has been reduced to 27% of world population from 46% in 1990 and the global economy has grown 75%since 1992.
