The United Nations has issued an urgent call for action to save Earth and protect the future of humanity.

A UN investigation into the world around us has found the systematic destruction of natural resources is having a devastating impact on the environment.

It warns that more animals are becoming extinct quicker than ever before.

But it is not just the natural world in danger, the demands we're making on the environment are also threatening human welfare across the globe.

When it comes to global warming, it says the Earth's climate is in an "unparalleled state".

"Drastic steps" are needed but efforts to tackle climate change have been "woefully inadequate" and show "a remarkable lack of urgency".

The way we live will have to "change fundamentally".

This is the first year in human history when most people in the world live in cities.

The increasing population is changing forests, fields and grazing land at an unprecendented rate.

The Amazon, for example, could be at a tipping point, potentially flipping into a dry phase with disastrous results.

It is predicted that in 2025, 2 billion people will live with water scarcity but at the same time, 60 per cent of the population is threatened by rising sea levels.

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