Leading scientists on Thursday called on the upcoming Rio Summit
to grapple with environmental ills that they said pointed to "a
humanitarian emergency on a global scale." In a "State of the
Planet" declaration issued after a four-day conference, the
scientists said Earth was now facing unprecedented challenges,
from water stress, pollution and species loss to spiralling
demands for food. They called on the June 20-22 followup to the
1992 Earth Summit to overhaul governance of the environment and
sweep away a fixation with GDP as the sole barometer of
wellbeing. "The continuing function of the Earth system as it
has supported the wellbeing of human civilisation in recent
centuries is at risk," said the statement issued at the "Planet
Under Pressure" conference. "These threats risk intensifying
economic, ecological and social crises, creating the potential
for a humanitarian emergency on a global scale." The conference
gathered nearly 3,000 environment scientists, economists,
business executives and policymake