According to a 2004 article in the International Herald Tribune, "We are altering our life support system and potentially pushing the planet into a far less hospitable state" and if policies cannot be developed to cope with the "uncertainty, complexity and magnitude of global change, the consequences for society may be huge" (Wallstrom pp). Although there has been much progress during the last century, such as the eradication of major diseases along with increased life expectancy and standards of living for many, the global population has tripled since 1930 to more than six billion and shows signs of continue growth, and moreover, the global economy has increased more than 15-fold since 1950 (Wallstrom pp). This progress has led to a wide-ranging impact on the environment as human activities have begun to significantly affect the planet and how it functions (Wallstrom pp). "Atmospheric composition, land cover, marine ecosystems, coastal zones, freshwater systems and global biological diversity have all been substantially affected," however, it is the magnitude and rate of this human-driven change that are most alarming (Wallstrom pp). .

             The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to human activity is nearly 100 parts per million and still growing (Wallstrom pp). This is already equal to the entire range experienced between an ice age and a warm period such as today and it has occurred at least ten times faster than any natural increase in the last half-million years (Wallstrom pp). Moreover, human influence extends beyond atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and increases in global mean temperature (Wallstrom pp). During the 1990's, the average area of humid tropical forest cleared yearly was equivalent to roughly half the area of England, and at current extinction rates, humans "may well be on the way to the Earth's sixth great extinction event" (Wallstrom pp). .

             The Earth is a well-connected system, thus, carbon dioxide emitted in one country rapidly mixes throughout the atmosphere, and pollutants released into the ocean in one location are transported to distant parts of the planet (Wallstrom pp).