In June 2006 a United Nations Environmental Program report estimated that there is an average of 46, 000 pieces of plastic debris in every square mile of ocean.

CNN: Fighting the tide of plastic bags in a world awash with waste

But the United Nations Environmental Program me (UNEP) has also recently said that population growth in the cities of the developing world "has outpaced the ability to provide vital infrastructure and services".

CNN: All About: Developing cities and pollution

One of Kuwait's leading environmental scientists, with three decades experience in resource conservation, Asem has played a major role in restoring Kuwait's war-ravaged ecosystems as head of the United Nations Compensation Commission's environmental remediation program.

CNN: November 12, 2012 -- Updated 1223 GMT (2023 HKT)