Earth’s Biodiversity is on the Precipice
We may not be ready to face it, but we must
In what is being called the “sixth extinction,” one million animal and plant species now face extinction within the next few decades. A recent report by the World Wildlife Fund demonstrates that species population sizes have declined by nearly 70% since 1970. Some animal and plant populations in Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced a 94% decline.
Habitat loss, global trade, and climate change are major causes of these declines. These, in turn, are being driven by human population growth and changing consumption habits. In fact, as our population grows and incomes rise, the demand for Western diets heavy in animal products is surging. To keep pace with this demand, more and more pristine forest is being stripped, burned, and converted to pastures and farmland to support animal agriculture.
Here’s why it matters
The tremendous loss we are facing keeps me up at night. This isn’t about saving the planet; it’s about saving ourselves. Earth was here long before us, and it will continue long after we’re gone. But if we lose these species at the rates predicted, we risk losing a greater part of ourselves — our heritage, our history, our culture, and ultimately, our humanity.
The scope and breadth of animal, plant, and microscopic life on our planet enables our way of life. The natural world has shaped human culture since its beginning — dating back to 40,000-year-old animal cave paintings in Borneo and 17,000-year old versions in Lascaux. Our ancestors understood the interconnected nature of people and our environment. We know this because nearly every modern religion places an emphasis on environmental stewardship.
Biodiversity punctuates our modern existence in ways we often don’t recognize. The diverse cast of animal life is one of the earliest concepts we learn as children. Plant and animal life abound in our cultural symbology: a red rose for romantic love, a dove for hope, and an olive branch for peace. Life in all its forms delights and inspires us — from buttercups to beluga whales. Some — like grizzly bears, black widow spiders, and Ophiocordyceps unilateralis — downright scare us, a stark reminder of our fragility.
Life in all its forms delights and inspires us — from buttercups to beluga whales.
What’s at stake
We shouldn’t underestimate the value of this biodiversity. A seminal 1997 study placed the value of Earth’s ecosystem services at $33 trillion per year— greater than the entire global economy at the time. Biological diversity is critical to the health of ecosystems, which carry out functions such as:
- Provision of food, clean water, and timber
- Soil creation
- Erosion and flood control
- Water cycle regulation
- Climate regulation
- Artistic and cultural inspiration
- Recreation
Ecosystems were calibrated over millions of years of concurrent evolution, and they have recently begun to show signs of failure. Entire regions are now dependent on pollinators hauled across state lines because of collapsing local populations. Rich topsoils, which almost all our food production depends on, have been stripped of vital nutrients, minerals and microbial life due to conventional farming practices. Predictions of pandemic diseases transmitted from stressed natural environments became a reality this year. And we are now experiencing climate change in real time with worsening droughts and more powerful storms.
The problem with our human-centered perspective
We can advocate for or against almost anything with the power of economics on our side. However, we should be cautious in making that our only argument for protecting biodiversity.
The economic perspective places humans at the center by measuring costs against benefits. Economic analysis aims to determine if something is worth conserving based on the value we receive compared with the cost incurred to us. It places us above the vast web of life that makes this world habitable.
Moreover, we now understand that the economic approach breaks down when markets fail to consider externality costs — the costs of transactions not borne by buyers or sellers, but by the public. For example, the market price of fossil fuel based products (e.g. gasoline, electricity, and synthetic fertilizers) has been artificially low for decades because their true cost — including the impact of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions on our environment— has not been borne by the producers or consumers. Those impacts have accumulated over time and the bill is coming due.
To many, the cost of addressing climate change and preventing biodiversity collapse seems too high. If we are going to embrace the economics, as so many in the national debate have, let’s acknowledge that the cost of delaying action— in effect not responding to this crisis — will be much steeper.
Choose to act today
Biodiversity loss is driven by the same factors that accelerate climate change. So we must address both challenges together.
Here’s how:
Adopt a plant-based diet. Participate in Meatless Mondays. Commit to not eating animal products before dinner. Make one meal each day meatless. Do what works for you to reduce the amount of animal products you consume.
Vote for candidates and support organizations that commit to:
- Protecting wildlife
- Stopping deforestation
- Supporting re-wilding of lands
- Protecting land and ocean habitats
- Decarbonizing the economy
Contact your elected representatives and tell them that addressing climate change and biodiversity loss is a major issue for you and their constituents.
Finally, engage your community on this topic and do whatever you can to protect local ecosystems. Volunteer for land, river and coastal cleanups. If there are none in your area, start one. Together, we can build a broad base of support to achieve a positive outcome for all life on our planet.
Sarah is an advocate and communicator for sustainable energy, environment and food systems in Washington, D.C. She is a climate leader with the Climate Reality Leadership Corps. Follow her on Twitter.
