Ecosystems and Human Well-being summary

     The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment covers the need for changes in government, economics, technology, social behaviour, and knowledge in order to achieve a sustainable future. Approximately 60% of the ecosystem services that were assessed during the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment are being degraded or used unsustainably. This includes freshwater, capture fisheries, air and water purification, regulation of climate, natural hazards, and pests. The effects of degradation of ecosystem services are being borne mostly by the poor which is further contributing to inequalities across groups of people. These problems are only going to get worse, as by 2050 global GDP is expected to increase by three to six times its level. The structure and function of ecosystems has changed more rapidly in the second half of the twentieth century than any other time in human history. This is mainly due to rapidly growing demands for food, freshwater, timber, fiber, and fuel. The eight Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2000 are aimed at improving human well-being by reducing poverty, hunger, child and maternal mortality, by insuring education for all, by controlling and managing diseases, by tackling gender disparity, by ensuring environmental sustainability, and by pursuing global partnerships.