Human activity is causing environmental degradation, which is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. Human society could collapse by 2050, a new climate policy paper claims ... much of Earth could look the same by 2050 if humans don't act fast to mitigate global warming ... that those other reports are slightly off; the risks of climate change are ... of how climate change will affect the planet in the near future.