Issue of Sustainable Development

Importance of Biodiversity
Healthy ecosystems provide us with many essentials we take for granted. Plants
convert energy from the sun making it available to other life forms. Bacteria and
other living organisms break down organic matter into nutrients providing plants
 with healthy soil to grow in. Pollinators are essential in plant reproduction,
guaranteeing our food production. Plants and oceans act as major carbon sinks.
i. Provision of Food Security
ii. Provision of biological resources
iii. Sustainable and Growth
iv. Protect freshwater resources
v. Maintaining balance of ecosystem
Biodiversity Loss
Biodiversity loss is a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a
given geographics area or Earth as a whole.
Biodiversity, or the variety of all living things on our planet, has been declining at
an alarming rate in recent years, mainly due to human activities, such as land
use changes, pollution and climate change.
Factors Contributing to Biodiversity Loss
Researchers have identified five important drivers of biodiversity loss:

i. Habitat loss and degradation—which is any thinning, fragmentation, or

destruction of an existing natural habitat—reduces or eliminates the food
resources and living space for most species. Species that cannot migrate are
often wiped out.

ii. Invasive species—which are non-native species that significantly modify or

disrupt the ecosystems they colonize—may outcompete native species for
food and habitat, which triggers population declines in native species. Invasive
species may arrive in new areas through natural migration or through human
introduction.

iii. Overexploitation—which is the harvesting of game animals, fish, or other

organisms beyond the capacity for surviving populations to replace their
losses—results in some species being depleted to very low numbers and
others being driven to extinction.

iv. Pollution—which is the addition of any substance or any form of energy to

the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted,
decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless form—contributes to
 biodiversity loss by creating health problems in exposed organisms. In some
cases, exposure may occur in doses high enough to kill outright or create
reproductive problems that threaten the species’s survival.

v. Climate change associated with global warming—which is the modification

of Earth’s climate caused by the burning of is caused by industry and other
human activities. Fossil fuel combustion produces greenhouse
gases that enhance the atmospheric absorption of (heat energy) and trap the
heat, influencing temperature and precipitation patterns.

vi. Lack of Education: Many people are not aware of the importance of Wildlife and
its effects of its destruction. So the people must be educated to save the wildlife.
Population Growth and Its Impacts on Environment
i. Population explosion refers the rapid and sudden rise in the size of
Population.
ii. A drastic growth in population beyond normal limits is called population
explosion.
India is the second most populous country in the world, while China is on the top
with the population growth rate at 1.2 %.
The Population Policy of Pakistan was launched in July 2002 with the vision to
achieve population stabilization by 2020 through the expedition completion of the
demographic transition that entail a decline both in fertility and morality.
Population planning is decisively linked to the country’s economy and overall
development.
Example of Population Explosion in Pakistan:
The population of Pakistan was 32.5 million at the time of independence in 1947.
It has now increase to around 150-160 million in a year 2000.
The population of Pakistan stood at 242.8 million in January 2024.
 Poverty
i. Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the
financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living.
Poverty means that the income level from employment is so low that basic
human needs can’t be met.
ii. Poverty is an extreme lack of Resources or income that prevent
individuals from meeting their basic needs and living dignifies life.
iii. Aristotle once said, “The mother of revolution and crime is poverty”
Current Situation of Poverty In Pakistan
According to Global multinational poverty index, 85 million people living in multi-
dimension poverty in Pakistan.
Consequence of Poverty
i. It can lead to poor health malnutrition, and a lack of access to basic needs
as Education, foods, healthcare and shelter.
ii. This can result facing physical and mental health problem, and can even
lead to premature death.
How can poverty be alleviated in Pakistan?
i. Quality education and job training opportunity
ii. Supporty Small business
iii. Advocate for policies that increase the minimum wage, promote fair and
equal pay.
iv. Access to health care and social services.
v. Protect workers’ rights
vi. Providing resources like foods banks , which can provide people with
basic necessities.
Majors steps taken by China’s Governmet
i. Invest in Education and Infrastructure
ii. Market oriented economic policies
iii. Foreign Investment and Trade
iv. Social welfare programs