Modern technology has improved our knowledge and quality of life. We're now more connected and living longer than ever before. Yet we face pervasive challenges which are difficult to overcome.
Our populations continue to grow, putting a strain on natural resources and public health systems.
The climate crisis threatens our future livelihoods — endangering our crops, food supply and accelerating the extinction of plants and animals. Parts of our world will increasingly become inhabitable as extreme weather events become more common, sea levels rise and ecosystems are fundamentally disrupted.
These are just some of our grand challenges — surging global issues which will only get worse if ignored — affecting humanity with no clear solutions.
It's a race to find answers as problems inch closer towards a point of no return.
A new study by the University of New South Wales found packaging local bacteria together with the seeds of native plants could replenish the vegetation of drylands.
Lead author, Frederick Dadzie, PhD candidate at UNSW, said only 10 percent of seeds germinate in degraded drylands.
"And given native seeds are expensive and often in low supply for the scales required, this is problematic," he said.
Drylands can be valuable areas to provide agriculture and food.
"Due to the vastness of drylands, they [also] have the highest potential to sequester atmospheric carbon and thereby contribute substantially to climate change," Dadzie said.
While the study found indigenous microbes helped germinate wattle seeds in these deserted lands, it did not influence plant survival.
But research like this attempts to make our world better, even as problems continue to intensify.
REALITY CHECK
Droughts have increased by nearly a third in a generation and floods have increased four-fold since the 2000s. Increasingly hazardous storm events are predicted to worsen in the future.
More than 55 million people live with dementia and it's expected to double every 20 years. Supportive care, the current gold standard in dementia treatment, is costing the world more than US$600 billion per year.
More than 41,000 species on Earth are currently threatened with extinction, mainly due to human pressures. But this figure is likely to be an underestimate.
BIG IDEAS
This quote is attributable to Caitlin Byrt, Australian National University: "The current generation and many generations to come will face the extraordinary challenge of having to work out how to adapt food production systems to extreme climatic conditions, such as increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms."
This quote is attributable to Letizia Tedesco, University of Helsinki: "Protecting the sea ice ecosystem is fundamental to guarantee all the ecosystem services it provides. It is a habitat, nursery and feeding ground for many, a source of food, a climate regulator, and it supports local and indigenous knowledge, tourism and scientific research. If we do not slow down climate change, the disruption of the Arctic will continue to outpace the science."
This quote is attributable to Ilan Kelman, UCL: "We cannot develop and implement effective health policy and practice by suddenly blaming long-standing, deep-seated, fundamental problems on a single topic, such as human-caused climate change."
PERSPECTIVES
There are no ‘natural disasters’ Ilan Kelman, University College London A weather-related disaster doesn’t need to be. By addressing the vulnerability of a society, the worst of it can be avoided. Obese and malnourished: the food future we face Madeline Mitchell, RMIT Our world is not suffering from a lack of calories, but a lack of good nutrition which can sustain us. Science might just have the answers. Increase in diabetes numbers hides a ray of hope Jonathan Shaw, Baker Institute, Monash University, La Trobe University Reports of a diabetes tsunami are hiding a key part of the picture. There’s a good reason the numbers are increasing.
Bat scan could insure against future pandemics Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, Northwestern University, USA and Sara Phillips, 360info Even mismatched vaccines could confer some immunity against related coronaviruses. To prepare for the next pandemic, the world could build a vaccine library.
Cities can be safe havens for endangered plants and animals Sarah Bekessy, RMIT and Georgia Garrard, University of Melbourne Creating better connections between humans and nature is the first step to bringing back animals into our cities.
Preparing for a world with Alzheimer's treatment Amy Brodtmann, Monash University As Alzheimer’s cases grow, scientists have been deep in debate over its causes. Now treatments are on the horizon, the new race is to ready the health system.
The ecological crisis in the Arctic Ocean Letizia Tedesco, Finnish Environment Institute Sea ice holds the key to understanding the entire Arctic marine ecosystem. But it’s melting faster than we can unravel its complexity.
Future food depends on the cutting edge Caitlin Byrt, Australian National University As climate change enters uncharted territory, we will need all the skills of the past, and some from the future, to keep feeding the world.
The Sixth Mass Extinction is happening now, and it doesn’t look good for us Corey Bradshaw, Flinders University Species are going extinct at an unusually high rate. Our efforts now will prevent a future too ghastly to contemplate. Overfishing fix needs more than money Brock Bergseth, James Cook University A dwindling supply of the world’s fish is an all-encompassing problem, and finding a solution will require a holistic look.
Climate change's dangerous new fires Jason Sharples, University of New South Wales, Nerilie Abrams, Australian National University, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, University of New South Wales Climate change is creating a new kind of dangerous wildfire. It will take all our tools to keep communities safe. Asia's largest cities lack water security Kaushal Chapagain and Mukand S. Babel, Asian Institute of Technology and Hassan Tolba Aboelnga, Cologne University of Applied Sciences Urban water security in Asian cities is in decline, forcing them to find new ways to manage this prescious resource. New plastics prepare for takeoff Ahmad Naser, University of Guelph Plant-based plastics are only just starting to be more widely accepted. But challenges remain.
Deep ocean carbon drawdown not an easy climate fix Phil Williamson, University of East Anglia The deep ocean can be used for carbon dioxide removal from our atmosphere. Here are the opportunities, risks and constraints.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
