Environmental Facts

Over 40% of all tropical forests have been destroyed and another acre is lost
each second.
Each year, humankind adds six to eight billion tons of carbon to the
atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and destroying forest, pumping up the
concentration of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming - an effect
that could raise temperatures by three to ten degrees by the year 2050
While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world's population, we produce 72% of
all hazardous waste and consume 33% of the world's paper.
Worldwide, thousands of pounds of plutonium are being produced, used and
stored under conditions of inadequate security. Using current technology, only
two pounds of plutonium is required to make a nuclear device.
The annual catch in 13 of the world's 15 major fishing zones has declined and
in four of those - three in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific oceans - the catch
has shrunk by a startling 30%.

LAND FACTS
Taxpayers will lose over one billion dollars over the next decade as the Forest
Service spends more money on building logging roads and preparing
commercial timber sales than it makes on selling the timber.
In 1992, taxpayers subsidized the clearcutting of our Alaskan rain forest with
an estimated $40 million.
Mining companies are allowed to buy our public lands for less than five dollars
an acre - any they pay no royalties on the gold and other minerals they extract.

This taxpayer giveaway, combined with the cost of massive environmental

damage and cleanup, amounts to a billion dollars every year.
Grazing has led to soil erosion, watershed destruction and ruin of wildlife
habitat on millions of acres of our public lands. Taxpayers subsidized grazing
fees with $1.8 billion during the years 1985 - 1992.

AIR FACTS
As many as 70,000 people nationwide may die prematurely from heart and
lung disease aggravated by particulate air pollution.
More than 100 million Americans live in urban areas where the air is officially
classified by the EPA as unsafe to breathe.
In many urban areas, children are steadily exposed to high levels of pollutants,
increasing the risk of chronic lung disease, cell damage and respiratory illness.
Dioxin and other persistent pollutants that are released into the air accumulate
in our waterways, wildlife, food supply and human blood-streams. These
poisons may cause cancer and reproductive disorders in human beings and
other animal species.

WATER FACTS
Millions of pounds of toxic chemicals, like lead, mercury and pesticides, pour
into our waterways each year contaminating wildlife, seafood and drinking
water.
One-half of our nation's lakes and one-third of our rivers are too polluted to be
completely safe for swimming or fishing.
Raw sewage, poison runoff and other pollution have caused 8,000 beach
closures or advisories over the past five years.

We are losing once pristine national treasures - like the Everglades, Lake
Superior, and the Columbia River System - to toxic pollution, chemical spills,
development, and diversion of freshwater flows.
All but one species of the magnificent ocean-going salmon in the Pacific
Northwest face a growing risk of extinction throughout most of their range, due
to habitat degradation and over-fishing.

ENERGY FACTS
The United States is responsible for almost 25% of the world's total energy
consumption. We use one million gallons of oil every two minutes.
Energy currently wasted by U.S. cars, homes and appliances equals more than
twice the known energy reserves in Alaska and the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf.
We could cut our nation's energy consumption in half by the year 2030 simply
by using energy more efficiently and by using more renewable energy sources.
In the process, we would promote economic growth by saving consumers $2.3
trillion and by producing one million new jobs.
When just 1% of America's 140 million car owners tune up their cars, we
eliminate nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide - the key cause of global
warming - from entering the atmosphere.

HEALTH & HABITAT FACTS

In 1991, 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the U.S. - eight pounds
for every man, woman and child.
A 1991 NRDC study found that pesticide use can be reduced in nine major U.S.
crops by 20 to 80 percent.
Americans are exposed to 70,000 chemicals, some 90% of which have never
been subjected to adequate testing to determine their impact on our health.

In the early 1990's, 116 million Americans drank water from systems that
violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.
As of 1994, 1.7 million American children, ages one to five, suffered from lead
poisoning.
Of the trash that we Americans throw away every day, 30% by weight is
packaging alone. In 1993, we threw away 14 billion pounds of plastic
packaging.

Excerpted from:
Natural Resources Defense Council
25 Year Report
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 727-2700

Environmental Facts
Over 40% of all tropical forests have been destroyed and another acre is lost
each second.
Each year, humankind adds six to eight billion tons of carbon to the
atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and destroying forest, pumping up the
concentration of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming - an effect
that could raise temperatures by three to ten degrees by the year 2050

While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world's population, we produce 72% of
all hazardous waste and consume 33% of the world's paper.
Worldwide, thousands of pounds of plutonium are being produced, used and
stored under conditions of inadequate security. Using current technology, only
two pounds of plutonium is required to make a nuclear device.
The annual catch in 13 of the world's 15 major fishing zones has declined and
in four of those - three in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific oceans - the catch
has shrunk by a startling 30%.

LAND FACTS
Taxpayers will lose over one billion dollars over the next decade as the Forest
Service spends more money on building logging roads and preparing
commercial timber sales than it makes on selling the timber.
In 1992, taxpayers subsidized the clearcutting of our Alaskan rain forest with
an estimated $40 million.
Mining companies are allowed to buy our public lands for less than five dollars
an acre - any they pay no royalties on the gold and other minerals they extract.
This taxpayer giveaway, combined with the cost of massive environmental
damage and cleanup, amounts to a billion dollars every year.
Grazing has led to soil erosion, watershed destruction and ruin of wildlife
habitat on millions of acres of our public lands. Taxpayers subsidized grazing
fees with $1.8 billion during the years 1985 - 1992.

AIR FACTS
As many as 70,000 people nationwide may die prematurely from heart and
lung disease aggravated by particulate air pollution.
More than 100 million Americans live in urban areas where the air is officially
classified by the EPA as unsafe to breathe.

In many urban areas, children are steadily exposed to high levels of pollutants,
increasing the risk of chronic lung disease, cell damage and respiratory illness.
Dioxin and other persistent pollutants that are released into the air accumulate
in our waterways, wildlife, food supply and human blood-streams. These
poisons may cause cancer and reproductive disorders in human beings and
other animal species.

WATER FACTS
Millions of pounds of toxic chemicals, like lead, mercury and pesticides, pour
into our waterways each year contaminating wildlife, seafood and drinking
water.
One-half of our nation's lakes and one-third of our rivers are too polluted to be
completely safe for swimming or fishing.
Raw sewage, poison runoff and other pollution have caused 8,000 beach
closures or advisories over the past five years.
We are losing once pristine national treasures - like the Everglades, Lake
Superior, and the Columbia River System - to toxic pollution, chemical spills,
development, and diversion of freshwater flows.
All but one species of the magnificent ocean-going salmon in the Pacific
Northwest face a growing risk of extinction throughout most of their range, due
to habitat degradation and over-fishing.

ENERGY FACTS
The United States is responsible for almost 25% of the world's total energy
consumption. We use one million gallons of oil every two minutes.
Energy currently wasted by U.S. cars, homes and appliances equals more than
twice the known energy reserves in Alaska and the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf.

We could cut our nation's energy consumption in half by the year 2030 simply
by using energy more efficiently and by using more renewable energy sources.
In the process, we would promote economic growth by saving consumers $2.3
trillion and by producing one million new jobs.
When just 1% of America's 140 million car owners tune up their cars, we
eliminate nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide - the key cause of global
warming - from entering the atmosphere.

HEALTH & HABITAT FACTS

In 1991, 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the U.S. - eight pounds
for every man, woman and child.
A 1991 NRDC study found that pesticide use can be reduced in nine major U.S.
crops by 20 to 80 percent.
Americans are exposed to 70,000 chemicals, some 90% of which have never
been subjected to adequate testing to determine their impact on our health.
In the early 1990's, 116 million Americans drank water from systems that
violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.
As of 1994, 1.7 million American children, ages one to five, suffered from lead
poisoning.
Of the trash that we Americans throw away every day, 30% by weight is
packaging alone. In 1993, we threw away 14 billion pounds of plastic
packaging.

Excerpted from:
Natural Resources Defense Council
25 Year Report
40 West 20th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 727-2700

Environmental Facts
Over 40% of all tropical forests have been destroyed and another acre is lost
each second.
Each year, humankind adds six to eight billion tons of carbon to the
atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and destroying forest, pumping up the
concentration of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming - an effect
that could raise temperatures by three to ten degrees by the year 2050
While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world's population, we produce 72% of
all hazardous waste and consume 33% of the world's paper.
Worldwide, thousands of pounds of plutonium are being produced, used and
stored under conditions of inadequate security. Using current technology, only
two pounds of plutonium is required to make a nuclear device.
The annual catch in 13 of the world's 15 major fishing zones has declined and
in four of those - three in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific oceans - the catch
has shrunk by a startling 30%.

LAND FACTS
Taxpayers will lose over one billion dollars over the next decade as the Forest
Service spends more money on building logging roads and preparing
commercial timber sales than it makes on selling the timber.
In 1992, taxpayers subsidized the clearcutting of our Alaskan rain forest with
an estimated $40 million.

Mining companies are allowed to buy our public lands for less than five dollars
an acre - any they pay no royalties on the gold and other minerals they extract.
This taxpayer giveaway, combined with the cost of massive environmental
damage and cleanup, amounts to a billion dollars every year.
Grazing has led to soil erosion, watershed destruction and ruin of wildlife
habitat on millions of acres of our public lands. Taxpayers subsidized grazing
fees with $1.8 billion during the years 1985 - 1992.

AIR FACTS
As many as 70,000 people nationwide may die prematurely from heart and
lung disease aggravated by particulate air pollution.
More than 100 million Americans live in urban areas where the air is officially
classified by the EPA as unsafe to breathe.
In many urban areas, children are steadily exposed to high levels of pollutants,
increasing the risk of chronic lung disease, cell damage and respiratory illness.
Dioxin and other persistent pollutants that are released into the air accumulate
in our waterways, wildlife, food supply and human blood-streams. These
poisons may cause cancer and reproductive disorders in human beings and
other animal species.

WATER FACTS
Millions of pounds of toxic chemicals, like lead, mercury and pesticides, pour
into our waterways each year contaminating wildlife, seafood and drinking
water.
One-half of our nation's lakes and one-third of our rivers are too polluted to be
completely safe for swimming or fishing.
Raw sewage, poison runoff and other pollution have caused 8,000 beach
closures or advisories over the past five years.

We are losing once pristine national treasures - like the Everglades, Lake
Superior, and the Columbia River System - to toxic pollution, chemical spills,
development, and diversion of freshwater flows.
All but one species of the magnificent ocean-going salmon in the Pacific
Northwest face a growing risk of extinction throughout most of their range, due
to habitat degradation and over-fishing.

ENERGY FACTS
The United States is responsible for almost 25% of the world's total energy
consumption. We use one million gallons of oil every two minutes.
Energy currently wasted by U.S. cars, homes and appliances equals more than
twice the known energy reserves in Alaska and the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf.
We could cut our nation's energy consumption in half by the year 2030 simply
by using energy more efficiently and by using more renewable energy sources.
In the process, we would promote economic growth by saving consumers $2.3
trillion and by producing one million new jobs.
When just 1% of America's 140 million car owners tune up their cars, we
eliminate nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide - the key cause of global
warming - from entering the atmosphere.

HEALTH & HABITAT FACTS

In 1991, 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the U.S. - eight pounds
for every man, woman and child.
A 1991 NRDC study found that pesticide use can be reduced in nine major U.S.
crops by 20 to 80 percent.
Americans are exposed to 70,000 chemicals, some 90% of which have never
been subjected to adequate testing to determine their impact on our health.

In the early 1990's, 116 million Americans drank water from systems that
violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.
As of 1994, 1.7 million American children, ages one to five, suffered from lead
poisoning.
Of the trash that we Americans throw away every day, 30% by weight is
packaging alone. In 1993, we threw away 14 billion pounds of plastic
packaging.

Excerpted from:
Natural Resources Defense Council
25 Year Report
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 727-2700

Environmental Facts
Over 40% of all tropical forests have been destroyed and another acre is lost
each second.
Each year, humankind adds six to eight billion tons of carbon to the
atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and destroying forest, pumping up the
concentration of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming - an effect
that could raise temperatures by three to ten degrees by the year 2050

While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world's population, we produce 72% of
all hazardous waste and consume 33% of the world's paper.
Worldwide, thousands of pounds of plutonium are being produced, used and
stored under conditions of inadequate security. Using current technology, only
two pounds of plutonium is required to make a nuclear device.
The annual catch in 13 of the world's 15 major fishing zones has declined and
in four of those - three in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific oceans - the catch
has shrunk by a startling 30%.

LAND FACTS
Taxpayers will lose over one billion dollars over the next decade as the Forest
Service spends more money on building logging roads and preparing
commercial timber sales than it makes on selling the timber.
In 1992, taxpayers subsidized the clearcutting of our Alaskan rain forest with
an estimated $40 million.
Mining companies are allowed to buy our public lands for less than five dollars
an acre - any they pay no royalties on the gold and other minerals they extract.
This taxpayer giveaway, combined with the cost of massive environmental
damage and cleanup, amounts to a billion dollars every year.
Grazing has led to soil erosion, watershed destruction and ruin of wildlife
habitat on millions of acres of our public lands. Taxpayers subsidized grazing
fees with $1.8 billion during the years 1985 - 1992.

AIR FACTS
As many as 70,000 people nationwide may die prematurely from heart and
lung disease aggravated by particulate air pollution.
More than 100 million Americans live in urban areas where the air is officially
classified by the EPA as unsafe to breathe.

In many urban areas, children are steadily exposed to high levels of pollutants,
increasing the risk of chronic lung disease, cell damage and respiratory illness.
Dioxin and other persistent pollutants that are released into the air accumulate
in our waterways, wildlife, food supply and human blood-streams. These
poisons may cause cancer and reproductive disorders in human beings and
other animal species.

WATER FACTS
Millions of pounds of toxic chemicals, like lead, mercury and pesticides, pour
into our waterways each year contaminating wildlife, seafood and drinking
water.
One-half of our nation's lakes and one-third of our rivers are too polluted to be
completely safe for swimming or fishing.
Raw sewage, poison runoff and other pollution have caused 8,000 beach
closures or advisories over the past five years.
We are losing once pristine national treasures - like the Everglades, Lake
Superior, and the Columbia River System - to toxic pollution, chemical spills,
development, and diversion of freshwater flows.
All but one species of the magnificent ocean-going salmon in the Pacific
Northwest face a growing risk of extinction throughout most of their range, due
to habitat degradation and over-fishing.

ENERGY FACTS
The United States is responsible for almost 25% of the world's total energy
consumption. We use one million gallons of oil every two minutes.
Energy currently wasted by U.S. cars, homes and appliances equals more than
twice the known energy reserves in Alaska and the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf.

We could cut our nation's energy consumption in half by the year 2030 simply
by using energy more efficiently and by using more renewable energy sources.
In the process, we would promote economic growth by saving consumers $2.3
trillion and by producing one million new jobs.
When just 1% of America's 140 million car owners tune up their cars, we
eliminate nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide - the key cause of global
warming - from entering the atmosphere.

HEALTH & HABITAT FACTS

In 1991, 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the U.S. - eight pounds
for every man, woman and child.
A 1991 NRDC study found that pesticide use can be reduced in nine major U.S.
crops by 20 to 80 percent.
Americans are exposed to 70,000 chemicals, some 90% of which have never
been subjected to adequate testing to determine their impact on our health.
In the early 1990's, 116 million Americans drank water from systems that
violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.
As of 1994, 1.7 million American children, ages one to five, suffered from lead
poisoning.
Of the trash that we Americans throw away every day, 30% by weight is
packaging alone. In 1993, we threw away 14 billion pounds of plastic
packaging.

Excerpted from:
Natural Resources Defense Council
25 Year Report
40 West 20th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 727-2700

Environmental Facts
Over 40% of all tropical forests have been destroyed and another acre is lost
each second.
Each year, humankind adds six to eight billion tons of carbon to the
atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and destroying forest, pumping up the
concentration of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming - an effect
that could raise temperatures by three to ten degrees by the year 2050
While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world's population, we produce 72% of
all hazardous waste and consume 33% of the world's paper.
Worldwide, thousands of pounds of plutonium are being produced, used and
stored under conditions of inadequate security. Using current technology, only
two pounds of plutonium is required to make a nuclear device.
The annual catch in 13 of the world's 15 major fishing zones has declined and
in four of those - three in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific oceans - the catch
has shrunk by a startling 30%.

LAND FACTS
Taxpayers will lose over one billion dollars over the next decade as the Forest
Service spends more money on building logging roads and preparing
commercial timber sales than it makes on selling the timber.
In 1992, taxpayers subsidized the clearcutting of our Alaskan rain forest with
an estimated $40 million.

Mining companies are allowed to buy our public lands for less than five dollars
an acre - any they pay no royalties on the gold and other minerals they extract.
This taxpayer giveaway, combined with the cost of massive environmental
damage and cleanup, amounts to a billion dollars every year.
Grazing has led to soil erosion, watershed destruction and ruin of wildlife
habitat on millions of acres of our public lands. Taxpayers subsidized grazing
fees with $1.8 billion during the years 1985 - 1992.

AIR FACTS
As many as 70,000 people nationwide may die prematurely from heart and
lung disease aggravated by particulate air pollution.
More than 100 million Americans live in urban areas where the air is officially
classified by the EPA as unsafe to breathe.
In many urban areas, children are steadily exposed to high levels of pollutants,
increasing the risk of chronic lung disease, cell damage and respiratory illness.
Dioxin and other persistent pollutants that are released into the air accumulate
in our waterways, wildlife, food supply and human blood-streams. These
poisons may cause cancer and reproductive disorders in human beings and
other animal species.

WATER FACTS
Millions of pounds of toxic chemicals, like lead, mercury and pesticides, pour
into our waterways each year contaminating wildlife, seafood and drinking
water.
One-half of our nation's lakes and one-third of our rivers are too polluted to be
completely safe for swimming or fishing.
Raw sewage, poison runoff and other pollution have caused 8,000 beach
closures or advisories over the past five years.

We are losing once pristine national treasures - like the Everglades, Lake
Superior, and the Columbia River System - to toxic pollution, chemical spills,
development, and diversion of freshwater flows.
All but one species of the magnificent ocean-going salmon in the Pacific
Northwest face a growing risk of extinction throughout most of their range, due
to habitat degradation and over-fishing.

ENERGY FACTS
The United States is responsible for almost 25% of the world's total energy
consumption. We use one million gallons of oil every two minutes.
Energy currently wasted by U.S. cars, homes and appliances equals more than
twice the known energy reserves in Alaska and the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf.
We could cut our nation's energy consumption in half by the year 2030 simply
by using energy more efficiently and by using more renewable energy sources.
In the process, we would promote economic growth by saving consumers $2.3
trillion and by producing one million new jobs.
When just 1% of America's 140 million car owners tune up their cars, we
eliminate nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide - the key cause of global
warming - from entering the atmosphere.

HEALTH & HABITAT FACTS

In 1991, 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the U.S. - eight pounds
for every man, woman and child.
A 1991 NRDC study found that pesticide use can be reduced in nine major U.S.
crops by 20 to 80 percent.
Americans are exposed to 70,000 chemicals, some 90% of which have never
been subjected to adequate testing to determine their impact on our health.

In the early 1990's, 116 million Americans drank water from systems that
violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.
As of 1994, 1.7 million American children, ages one to five, suffered from lead
poisoning.
Of the trash that we Americans throw away every day, 30% by weight is
packaging alone. In 1993, we threw away 14 billion pounds of plastic
packaging.

Excerpted from:
Natural Resources Defense Council
25 Year Report
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 727-2700

BEFORE THE CURRENT CRISIS

The country is made up of over 7,000 islands.

The economy of the Philippines is one of the biggest emerging markets in the world but
many parts of the country remain very poor.

An average of 20 major storms hit the Philippines a year - Haiyan was the 25th tropical storm
to enter Filipino waters in 2013.

The Philippines is an area of intense seismic activity because it is located along the border of
two tectonic plates on The Pacific Ring of Fire which means it is also prone to earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions

How to Avoid Natural Calamities and How to

Prepare for Them
Natural calamities have been a cause of great destruction and devastation on Earth. Some are
more violent in nature as compared to the others, and sometimes, its simply impossible to
estimate a death count a great example is of a volcanic eruption that lead to tsunami and
completely wiped out the Mediterranean Island of Stroggli.
Natural calamities are unpredictable in nature and often occur all of a sudden. Due to this nature,
avoiding them is almost impossible. However, we can take certain precautions that will help
keep the level of devastation down and save precious human lives.
The nature of protection against natural disasters depends on the type of the disaster. For
disasters like floods and landslides, plantation of trees is a good long-term solution. On the other
hand, there are disasters like lightening or earthquake against which there is not much a man can
do. No matter what type of disaster you face, you can always plan something to increase your
chances of survival.
As far as earthquakes are concerned, people all over the world are told to calmly leave the
building they are in when the quake strikes. In case of damage, people are encouraged and taught
to help pull out other people from the debris. On a larger scale, buildings can be constructed in a
way that ensures they are less likely to collapse during an earthquake. In Japan for instance, there
are shock absorbers installed at the base of the buildings which enables the building to move
with the earthquake and prevents collapse.
Floods and landslides are hard to avoid. However, to protect against them, measures can be taken
on a government level. These could include passing of laws that prohibit cutting down of trees
and building of houses in regions that are flood prone. Disasters like drought can be avoided by
proper planning and allocation of resources. Measures can be taken at community level so that
no one is misusing or overusing their share of resources like water and food.
Regions where strong winds and tornadoes are a frequent occurrence need different
precautionary measures. Tornadoes and storms can be predicted to an extent in todays world.
Once one is predicted, it is important not to wander out without reason. Asking the kids to stay at
home is another good measure. These regions usually have strongly built houses to withstand the
storms. However, having a basement where you can stay and wait for the storm to pass is not a
bad idea. Make sure though that the basement has a door that takes you directly out of the house
so that in case the house collapses, you can get out of the basement.
To protect against natural calamities, safety measures need to be taken at all levels. Governments
need to play their part by passing laws that can result in safety for people while people
themselves can learn the basic ways to respond to natural calamities. Communities need to have
small plans in place because in case of a disaster, the nearest people who can help you will be
those living in your neighborhood.