Based on a recent study, the World Wildlife Fund reports that between 1970 and 2010, wildlife biodiversity/populations have been cut in half (and that the trend shows no sign of easing). This is staggering news, but it passes almost without notice in our strange, discombobulated, drunken world. Combine it with a recent study indicating that human populations are not likely to peak, as previously expected, at nine billion but to reach 11-12 billion by centurys end. Yikes! Put the two and you have a truly deadly combination. Tom Human activity has brought the planets life-supporting systems to the brink of tipping points, causing an alarming loss in biodiversity and critical threats to the services nature has provided humankind. So finds the newest state of the planet report (pdf) from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which offers a damning look on the health of the Earth. Were gradually destroying our planet’s ability to support our way of life, stated Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF. dAmong the reports findings is a dramatic loss in biodiversity. Its Living Planet Index, managed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and based on over 10,000 populations of over 3,000 species, shows a 52 percent decline in global wildlife between 1970 and 2010. And thats a trend that shows no sign of slowing down. Among the causes of the decline are climate change, habitat loss and degradation, and exploitation. Breaking these losses down further, the report states that populations of freshwater species have declined 76 percent, compared to losses of 39 percent each for marine species and terrestrial populations. Region-wise, Latin America has suffered the biggest decline in biodiversity, with species populations plummeting 83 percent. commondreams.org/news/2014/09/30/planet-brink-human-activity-killing-planets-life-supporting-systems
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 15:00:00 +0000
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