2009年全球飢餓人口將創新高 破10億2千萬 
聯合國糧農組織（FAO）：2050年前世界糧產須加倍以防飢荒
全球20％的人口消耗了80％的地球資源
世界50％以上的糧食被用於生產生質燃料和飼養牲畜
林森每年以一千三百萬公頃的速度消失
你還能為下一代留下些什麼?
聯合國糧食跟農業組織，公佈最新的全球飢荒人口統計數字，達到破紀錄十億兩千萬人。全球景氣不好再加上糧食價格偏高，都是造成飢荒人口大量增加的主要原因。
「糧食及農業組織」FAO的統計數字顯示，全球每天攝取的總卡洛里低於1800卡，也就是處於飢餓狀態的人數，超過了十億，也就是全球每六個人當中就有一個人吃不飽，從地區性來看，亞太地區人數最多達六億四千萬人，其次是撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲地區，有兩千六百五十萬人。其中還有1500萬的飢民，是身處於已開發國家。
全球飢荒的問題並不出在糧食欠收，事實上今年全球穀物的收成量還創新高，問題是出在糧食的價格偏高，舉例來說去年底的糧價和06年相比，就增加了24%，這對把收入的六成，都花在維持三餐溫飽的低收入戶來說，就是很大的負擔。此外，全球經濟危機所產生的，收入減少和失業增加的問題，也衝擊到城市的人口，很多家庭不得不選擇較便宜的食物，而發生營養不足，於是也出現了城市人口往鄉村遷移的情況。「糧食及農業組織」警告，這恐將對全球的和平與穩定產生不良的影響。
在緬甸、北韓與辛巴威，食物被用作政治工具；利比亞、茅利塔尼亞與摩洛哥等國，則加強對難民的邊界管制。拉丁美洲，原住民族的危機因經濟危機加劇；而在非洲，生活支出的增加引發人民抗爭，卻只招來暴力鎮壓的後果，其中尤以馬利、喀麥隆、突尼西亞、索馬利亞、辛巴威、南非等國情況最為嚴重。
貧富差距的斷層不斷廣大，儘管印度近年經濟起飛，每年近200萬幼童活不過五歲，每15秒就有一名死亡，40萬名活不過一天、超過半數活不過一個月；然而號稱金磚四國之一的印度，也是世界銀行預估經濟成長速度最快的國家之一與G20重要的大國。每年卻仍有超過40萬名的新生兒，出生不到24小時即死於可避免之成因。
根據慈善團體「拯救兒童」（Save the Children）公布，印度新生兒死亡率佔全球的1/5。印度「拯救兒童」負責人強迪（Thomas Chandy）表示，印度政府提供每位國民基本醫療的計劃，未能改變國內嬰孩大量夭折的冷酷現實。這份報告旨在降低全球嬰孩死亡率。聯合國的數據，去年全球大約有800萬名幼童活不過五歲，多數死於腹瀉或肺炎這類容易治癒的疾病。印度則名列幼童死亡率極高的前五名，五歲以下幼童死亡率為千分之72，一歲以下嬰兒為千分之54。相較之下，台灣一歲以下嬰兒的死亡率為千分之4.5，只有印度的十二分之一。這份報告是根據在14個國家的研究，它估計，全球每年有200萬新生兒出生不到24小時即早夭，也就是每15 秒就有一名新生兒喪生。世界衛生組織評比中，印度公衛支出是175國中，倒數第五名(171名)，投注在基礎醫療建設的經費少得可憐。國際組織「拯救兒童」(Save the Children)近日提出報告，除了呼籲各國人民勇敢積極向政府提出要求，提升、改善醫療建設，更提出估算數據：只要全球共同出資400億美元(約新台幣1兆3億元)，即可有效改善此問題。因為缺乏醫療照護，印度許多婦女第一胎都保不住；首都德里的貧民窟情況更嚴重。根據「拯救兒童」提供的報告，首都近五分之一人口居住在貧民窟，當地嬰兒死亡率是印度其他地區的兩倍之多。印度兒童死亡率特別高，每1000名活產嬰兒就有72名夭折，這個數字比鄰國的孟加拉還高。而且每年有超過200萬名的印度孩童，不到5歲就死亡。出生頭幾個月的主要死因包括營養不良、肺炎和腹瀉，這些都是花費不多且容易治癒的小病。低成本解決方案最多可把新生兒死亡率降低70%。
CIA World Factbook 2008 Estimates for Life Expectancy at birth (years).2008年各國人口壽命平均圖
印度國內更有高達41.6%人口，每日所得不到1美元(約新台幣32元)，深陷貧窮困境。聯合國於2000年曾訂定八大千禧年發展目標，其中一項即為降低嬰兒死亡率，並以是否能活過五歲為關鍵指標。不過照目前情勢，想於2015年前達成降低三分之二的嬰兒死亡率目標，再不努力恐怕會失敗。再追本溯源，不僅幼童死亡率高，婦女分娩時也危機重重！人權觀察組織(HRW)近日提出報告，指出印度官方雖聲稱保證有免費的生產醫療服務，但以著名的北部遊覽景點、Uttar Pradesh省為例，仍有許多婦女在生產過程中枉送性命。在名為「苦痛無籌碼：印度生產醫療照護當責性」的報告中，記錄了Uttar Pradesh省官方在提供孕婦健康照護、協助釐清醫療落差等眾多失敗績效。根據聯合國資料，印度整體平均婦女生產死亡率，為萬分之45，近二分之一的婦女生產時，身邊沒有專業醫療人員；相較之下，台灣孕產婦粗死亡率為百萬分之6.5，相差高達700倍。相較印度其他地區，Uttar Pradesh省是全印度孕婦生產死亡率最高的地區之一。印度官方將降低婦女生產死亡率列為優先處理議題，甚至成立國家農村衛生委員會(NRHM)，實施提供貧困婦女免費醫療服務、甚至訂定以補助資金鼓勵她們前往醫療院所生產的策略，但顯然在執行上仍有許多問題。人權觀察組織在這份報告中指出，執行過程中缺乏監督體制，目前計算每年因生產死亡的婦女人數數據，可信度很低；此外，也無法確認是否已幫助最需要幫助的族群。這些因生產過程而喪命的婦女，都是「枉送性命」。因為只要有確實的生產醫療服務與相關設備，許多致死因素都是可以預防、避免的。除了婦女，印度幼童死亡率也相當高。日前國際組織「拯救兒童」(Save the Children)已提出報告，指出印度每15秒就有一名兒童死亡，一年死亡人數達200萬名，是幼童死亡率極高的國家前五名；世界衛生組織評比中，印度公衛支出更是175國中倒數第五名(171名)。印度國內更有高達41.6%人口，每日所得不到1美元(約新台幣32元)，深陷貧窮困境。
法新社
受到戰爭、乾旱、政治動亂、食物價格飆漲與貧窮等因素交互影響，全球目前有高達六分之一的人口面臨長期飢餓困境，與去年相較，全球今年又新增了一億人吃不飽，也就是他們每天進食不到一千八百卡，這是飢餓人口年增加幅度最大的一次。全球目前有十億兩千萬人吃不飽，並預測今年全年的飢餓人口還可能再增加十一％，而且飢餓人口的增加速度較全球人口增加速度更快。
Wheat harvest near Pokhara, Morocco
The Dades Valley survives thanks to a slender thread of water that meanders between the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas mountain ranges. Numerous Berber villages cling to the valley's rocky slopes, where humans operate subsistence farming methods. But their presence is visible in the abundant lush gardens that soften the rugged landscape. These are often small grain or potato fields whose crops are intended for local consumption. The valley's signature crop is the Damascus rose, which is distilled into rosewater at a local cooperative. By joining forces, the farmers obtain a decent price for their harvest. Otherwise, they would be left to sell it cheaply in local bazaars or to the first middle-man who knocked on their door. But only the rose farmers have formed a cooperative. Many villagers see no need to change their habits. 
Wheat harvest near Lamar, Colorado, USA
Once, the banks of the Athabasca river were covered by a boreal forest. Since extraction began thirty years ago, the oil sands have become the second biggest oil reserve in the world, estimated at 175 billion barrels. But before it becomes oil, the sand must be refined. Producing a 159-liter barrel of crude requires two metric tons of sand. Diggers reach up to sixty meters into the earth before huge trucks capable of carrying 400 metric tons take the tar sands to the extraction plant. River water is pumped in to separate the bitumen from the sand in vast heated tanks. The bitumen is converted into oil and pumped across North America by pipeline. This titanic operation has brought an economic boom to the region. The nearest town, Fort McMurray, has expanded rapidly in recent years, but the benefits to the state of Alberta, the oil companies and growing population are offset by the damage to the environment. (With the destruction of the boreal forest, churned soils, chemical waste and contaminated rivers, the tar sands have a high price environmentally. As oil prices increase, however, making the process more competitive, the Alberta tar sands have a prosperous future ahead of them. Unless the necessity of fighting global warming closes down production.)
Greenhouses in San Augustin near Almeria, Andalusia, Spain
This sea of plastic, the biggest concentration of greenhouses in the world, did not exist 35 years ago. It now covers over 40,000 hectares on what was once arid ground where herds grazed. Average rainfall here is 200 millimeters per year, making this part of Almeria province technically a desert. This form of intensive farming makes tomatoes and strawberries available in Europe all year round, thanks to cheap labor and transport costs. The greenhouses are used to produce fruit and, mostly, vegetables, using one cubic meter of water per square meter per year—4-5 times more water than actually falls as rain. (The plants grow on an artificial sand-based substratum covered in black plastic and irrigated, sometimes by fossil water, from wells, half of which have been drilled illegally. The environmental balance is disrupted, especially as the soil is polluted by the fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides used to maintain output. The lack of water, its increasing salinity and the exploitation of cheap labor—mostly immigrants, many working illegally—show the limits of the system. Today, Spain has nearly 100,000 hectares of land under greenhouses (ten times more than France) and, Andalusia is the leading exporter of fruit and vegetables to the whole of Europe.)
Solar-powered houses, Vauban district, Freiburg, Germany
Photovoltaic solar panels on the roof provide the inhabitants of these buildings with more energy than they need. Designed by German architect Rolf Disch, the 'plus energy' buildings point their roofs and glass facades south to absorb the sun's rays in winter. Well isolated, they consume little energy and the excess electricity is sold to the local utility company. Instead of paying its bills, the inhabitants receive money from the company. With a population of 200,000 people, Freiburg is at the ecological cutting edge. (In the 1970s, the inhabitants opposed the building of a nuclear power plant in this region near the French border and turned to renewable energy resources instead. In 1992, planning started for the Vauban eco-suburb to be built on 40 hectares of barracks and land abandoned by the French army. 5,000 people, who were consistently invited to contribute to the project's development, have since moved in. The houses and small apartment buildings use renewable materials and clean energy. Roofs are grassed and rainfall is collected. In terms of transport, pedestrians, cyclists and tramways dominate the automobile.)
Gigantic ships carry oil across the oceans. The tankers supply North America and Europe with only a small crew required. They are sometimes the victims of misfortune or the cause of collisions and shipwrecks. Oil spills result in spectacularly devastating oil slicks that have seen chemical shipping regulations completely revised, notably with the introduction of double-hull tankers. Maritime transport is responsible for 12% of total ocean pollution.
Lakagigar volcanic system, Iceland
Its volcanoes and rivers means that 70% of Iceland's energy comes from hydroelectric or geothermal resources, a world record. Iceland is at the forefront of research into alternative, renewable sources of energy and is extending this research to hydrogen. By 2050, the country plans on being the first in the world that is totally independent of fossil and polluting resources.
The volcanic Rekjanes peninsula in Iceland contains many natural hot springs. The Blue Lagoon (Blaa Lonid) is an artificial lake fed by surplus water from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant. Drawn from 2,000 meters underground, where it is heated to 240°C by the molten magma, the water reaches the surface at 70°C and is used to heat nearby towns. The lagoon's color comes from the basin's silica and limestone mineral combination and the presence of decomposing algae. (Rich in mineral salts and organic matter, the Blue Lagoon's warm waters (40°C) are famous for their curative properties (skin diseases). Geothermal power is a relatively recent, cheap and clean renewable source of energy. Its use is growing. In 1960, it provided heat for less than 25% of Iceland's population. That figure is now 85%. By using geothermal power to make hydrogen batteries, Iceland plans to become the first oil-free economy by 2040.)
'Blue lagoon', Svartsengi geothermal power plant, near Grindavik, Rekjanes peninsula, Iceland
Landfill for oil residue from the Athabasca Oil Sands, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
Once, the banks of the Athabasca river were covered by a boreal forest. Since extraction began thirty years ago, the oil sands have become the second biggest oil reserve in the world, estimated at 175 billion barrels. But before it becomes oil, the sand must be refined. Producing a 159-liter barrel of crude requires two metric tons of sand. Diggers reach up to sixty meters into the earth before huge trucks capable of carrying 400 metric tons take the tar sands to the extraction plant. River water is pumped in to separate the bitumen from the sand in vast heated tanks. The bitumen is converted into oil and pumped across North America by pipeline. This titanic operation has brought an economic boom to the region. The nearest town, Fort McMurray, has expanded rapidly in recent years, but the benefits to the state of Alberta, the oil companies and growing population are offset by the damage to the environment. (With the destruction of the boreal forest, churned soils, chemical waste and contaminated rivers, the tar sands have a high price environmentally. As oil prices increase, however, making the process more competitive, the Alberta tar sands have a prosperous future ahead of them. Unless the necessity of fighting global warming closes down production.)
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