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'The expected triumph of free-market reforms over poverty has yet to be delivered. On the contrary, the number of people below the poverty line had reached 160 million by 1995.' |
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Two major environmental issues stand out in the region. The first is to find solutions to the problems of the urban environment – nearly three-quarters of the population are already urbanized, many in mega-cities where air quality threatens human health and water shortages are common. The second issue is the depletion and destruction of forest resources, especially in the Amazon basin, and the related threat to biodiversity. |
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The region has the largest reserves of cultivable land in the world but soil degradation is threatening much cultivated land. On the plus side, many countries have substantial potential for curbing their contributions to the build-up of greenhouse gases, given the region's renewable energy sources and the potential of forest conservation and reforestation programmes to provide valuable carbon sinks. |
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During the 1980s Central America increased agricultural production by 32 per cent but doubled its consumption of pesticides. |
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The natural forest cover continues to decrease in all countries. A total of 5.8 million hectares a year was lost during 1990–95, resulting in a 3 per cent total loss for the period. |
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Habitat loss is a major threat to biodiversity in this region, which contains 40 per cent of the Earth's plant and animal species; it is estimated that 1 244 vertebrate species are now threatened with extinction. |
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A large decrease in the marine fisheries catch is expected as a result of the 1997–98 El Niño. |
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Many cities have severe air pollution. In Spo Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, air pollution is estimated to cause 4 000 premature deaths a year. Waste disposal is also a major urban problem. |
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