Unless action is taken now, the consequences of our activities are at a high risk of causing, through the combined effects of climate change, overexploitation, pollution and habitat loss, the next globally significant extinction event in the ocean.

FORBES: A Call to Arms on Climate Change

Habitat loss, pollution, climate change and competition from invasive species have all reduced North American bird populations.

CNN: Ninety years of birdwatchers' notes going online

They also cited issues of potential noise, air pollution, increased traffic and a loss of privacy.

BBC: Banbury Station multi-storey car park approved

Scientists report that many types of amphibians, especially frogs, are in a steep global decline likely caused by a mix of habitat loss, climate change, pollution and a virulent fungus.

NPR: Alarm Over Vanishing Frogs In The Caribbean

Sea level rise, the loss of biodiversity, acidification and pollution are only a few dangers threatening our seas and coasts.

UNESCO: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

In fact, according to the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute, that man-caused influence comes in fifth behind habitat degradation and loss, non-native invasive species, pollution, and overuse of resources.

FORBES: Got Problems? Blame Global Warming

One of the simplest ways would be to eliminate payroll taxes, which would lower the cost of labor in the US by roughly 17 percent and offset that loss of revenues with taxes on materials, energy, pollution, and land.

FORBES: Ashoka Chairman Bill Drayton on the Power of Social Entrepreneurship