UN Millennium Development Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

UN Millennium Development Goals - Essay Example The targets set by United Nations are to ensure access to safe drinking water and safe sanitation mechanism to 50% population of the world by 2015. Moreover the resolution requires all the member countries of the United Nations to implement legislation to ensure sustainable development in all fields of technology in order to protect the environment for future generations (United Nations, 2011). Forests are deemed as natural lungs of the environment and are significantly important for ensuring consistency in carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations in the natural air. Despite various incentives and recommendations provided by the United Nations, during the decade 2000-2010 South America and Africa lost 3.4% and 4% of the forests respectively, however the rate of deforestation did not rise considerably because Asia gained 2.2% of its total forested area during the same period. Despite the global recession, the various industrial units and vehicles in the world added 30.1 billion metric tons carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2008, 1.7 percent more than 2007 (UNEP, 2008). The Montreal Protocol have been very successful in this regard because under this protocol, the use of most of the ozone depleting substances have been controlled and the ozone levels are on the rise, with scientists expecting them to reach pre-1980’s levels by the middle of the century (World Bank, 2008). Provision of clean drinking water is still one of the major concerns and the increasing unplanned urbanization is further aggravating the situation. According to recent estimates, only 20% of the people living in the cities of Africa have access to clean and safe drinking water. The targets of sanitation are also far from being achieved and 2.6 billion people in the world still lack improved sanitation facilities (United Nations Office of High Commissioner on Human