Our Environment Is At Risk
A three-year global assessment of nature was recently conducted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The study involved more than 450 experts from 50 countries and was backed by the UN. The study looked at changes to the natural world over the last five decades, during which the Earth’s population has doubled, and demand for energy and finite resources has significantly increased.
The study found that wildlife and habitats around the world are dying at record speed as a result of exploitation and pollution of natural environments on land and in water. Plastic pollution and fertilizer runoff in bodies of water has increased 1000% since 1980, killing turtles, seabirds, and amphibious mammals, as well as worsening the general water quality.
Currently, 40% of amphibians are in danger of extinction, as well as 33% of corals, 33% of marine mammals, and 10% of insects.
The study states that the death of natural life as a result of human activity will lead to the eroding of economies, food, fresh water, health, and general quality of life around the world.
Roughly three-quarters of the world’s land has been altered by human life through deforestation, the deterioration of grassland due to crops and livestock, as well as the spread of cities, industry, and infrastructure. Roughly a million plant and animal species risk extinction within the next few decades, the most in human history.
The study also states that large-scale economic and societal transformation is necessary to protect and restore natural life. The plant and animal life in danger supplies humans with food, medicine, and fresh water, all of which are essential parts of a good quality of life. Without an economic and societal transformation, the damage will only worsen and continue to pose a threat to the well-being of humans worldwide.
Experts involved in the report warned that the interests of those profiting from subsidies and lax regulations would oppose any changes to the status quo that would reduce their profits. However, these experts were confident that those with conflicting interests could be overcome for the good of natural life and humans worldwide.
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Written by Lorenzo Lizzeri, Edited by Alexander Versfeld & Alexander Fleiss