U.N. report says planet at risk

PARIS, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The United Nations says climate change, the rate of extinction of species and the challenge of feeding a growing population are putting the Earth at risk.

The United Nations Environment Program's Global Environment Outlook assesses the current state of the planet's atmosphere, land, water and biodiversity, describes the changes over the past 20 years and identifies priorities for action, the UNEP said Friday in a release.

The report said that while there has been progress on the issue of the environment, failure to address persistent problems may threaten the survival of humanity.

On climate change, the report says the threat is now so urgent that large cuts must be made in greenhouse gases by the middle of this century. The report said the human population is now so large that "the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available."

"The systematic destruction of the Earth's natural and nature-based resources has reached a point where the economic viability of economies is being challenged and where the bill we hand on to our children may prove impossible to pay," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.