So we get the 5 biggest environmental problems under control

These five megatrends are the biggest threats to our planet - issues we should be getting better today than tomorrow. But how? We know the answers - only the implementation is the crux.

Air pollution and climate change

Problem: Since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the middle of the 18th century, we have been blowing CO2 into the air. The consequence: It is getting warmer and warmer. Not only on Earth, but also in our oceans. In moderation, CO2 is actually good - because without the naturally released CO2 - for example, through the vegetation, it would be pretty frosty - if not icy - with us.But now man also contributes a not inconsiderable part to it - and that is too much of a good thing...

By comparison, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, agriculture and industrial activities has raised atmospheric CO2 concentrations from 280 parts per million (ppm) 200 years ago to around 400 ppm today. This is an unprecedented increase in size and speed and could not be without consequences. The consequence is the well-known climate change.

However, the surplus of carbon dioxide is just one form of air pollution caused by the burning of coal, oil, gas and wood. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently estimated that one in nine deaths in 2012 was caused by diseases caused by carcinogens and other pollutants in polluted air.

Solution: replace fossil fuels with renewable energies. Reforestation. Reduction of emissions from agriculture. Change in industrial processes. All this is easy to say - maybe it hapert therefore also on the implementation.

Nonetheless, the good news is that there is plenty of clean energy - it just needs to be used. At any rate, a 100 percent supply of renewable energy is possible with our existing technology, say many advocates and environmental organizations. That is the way you can pant more Super Hot Fruits and other bio plants.

On the other hand, experts also warn that the conversion to renewable energy sources - such as solar cells or wind turbines - is far too slow. So often lack the political interest and the fossil fuels are simply too cheap.

Today, about 30 percent of the planet's surface is covered by forests - that's about half as much as it was 11,000 years ago. 7.3 million hectares of forest are destroyed each year. Tropical forests once accounted for 15 percent of the land area; today it is not more than six or seven percent. The majority was cut down or burned down.

In addition to protecting biodiversity, forests also function as carbon sinks - natural CO2 stores - that do not enter the earth's atmosphere or the oceans.Solution: Protect what is left of the forest. Reforest deforested areas. Above all, this requires a strong state. However, in many places - especially in tropical regions - the necessary state structures, capital and the will to assert are missing. This is due to bribery, criminal deforestation and the hope for quick money.

Not only do species by nature have a raison d'être, they also contribute a great deal to human survival. Really! Just think about the bees and their pollination work. Without them, there would be no seed formation, which in turn is the basis for the survival of the plants. The little helpers are indispensable for nature and producers.

Solution: There must be concrete measures to prevent further loss of biodiversity. Protecting and restoring habitats is one side - stopping poaching and wildlife trade the other. All this should be done in collaboration with the locals so that the conservation of wild animals is also in their social and economic interest.

I am a enviroment activist. What else to say?