| Environmental stresses | Accuracy of prediction | |
| Present limit | Ultimate limit | |
| Natural climate variability | ||
| Occurrence of drought, etc | Low | Moderate |
| Human-induced climatic change | ||
| Temperature | Significant | Significant |
| Precipitation, evaporation, etc | Low | Moderate |
| Monsoon dislocation, etc | Low | Moderate |
| Global sea level | Moderate | Significant |
| Land degradation | ||
| Soil erosion, salinization, etc | Moderate | Significant |
| Physical, chemical and biological processes | Significant | High |
| Desertification | Significant | High |
| Mismanagement of land resources | ||
| Overexploitation | Moderate | Significant |
| Deforestation | Moderate | High |
| Loss of arable land | ||
| Loss due to urbanization, industry, etc | Significant | High |
| Natural disasters | ||
| Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc | Very low | Low |
Table 2: Approximate levels of accuracy of predictions of environmental factors over a period of about one decade: a) that can be achieved today; and, b) the expected ultimate level.