MANKIND NEEDS TWO EARTHS TO SURVIVE - FOUNDATION

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), Feb 11 (Bernama) -- Come 2050, mankind's existence
will be severely threatened -- unless there is another planet earth to cushion
the blow!

This is the prediction of Asia-Europe Foundation's regional environment
centre executive director Marta Szigeti Bonifert.

She expects a demographic explosion by 2050 when there will be food and
water shortage, and climate changes impacting the ecosystem, resulting in
extreme weather events.

By that year, Bonifert warns, rapid population growth coupled with the
natural resources becoming obsolete would endanger mankind whose consumption
habits would have increased.

"If we continue the way we consume now, by 2050 we will need two Earths!
But, there is only one Earth.

Sustainability development needs to be practised by all communities to
ensure a balance between the people and the ecosystem.

"Earth is a spaceship and there must be a certain amount of caring
capacity," she said in her talk, 'Transition to Sustainability through
Cooperation' at a hotel Wednesday.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun was also
present at the talk.

Bonifert said currently, the world was facing other challenges such as price
hikes of basic necessities and contamination.

"The challenges that we are facing are leading to growing social issues,
slowdown in economy and there even seems to be changes in the patterns of
infectious diseases.

"In order to have a sustainability development, we must have long-term
thinking in meeting basic needs, a governance structure that is working on it,
sharing natural resources and protecting the global environment," she added.
-- BERNAMA