"In 15 years, 40 percent of the world (PDF) will lack access to clean water, assuming current consumption patterns hold, compared to just over 10 percent today. Fast forward 20 more years to 2050, and global food production to feed the 3.5 billion more people expected on earth will be lagging by 70 percent.
Underlying those grim numbers are other consequences of climate change — rising sea levels, spikes in global refugees, scarcity of supply chain materials — likely to accelerate unless we drastically cut carbon emissions.
So why, despite these increasingly tangible examples of how environmental volatility stands to affect the global population — and the global economy — aren’t we seeing more meaningful progress on sustainability issues?
One answer: the nexus between making money and degrading the environment..."