Extinction And The Climate Crisis

Humanity Faces a Biodiversity Crisis. Climate Change Makes It Worse. People are destroying the world’s natural wealth so fast that society must change radically to meet development goals, the UN says in a landmark scientific report.

Sabrina Shankman, Georgina Gustin, John H. Cushman Jr, May 6, 2019 (Inside Climate News)

“…[A million species are on the brink of extinction and the climate crisis role] in exacerbating the losses is accelerating…[A new report] warns of potentially irreversible economic, social and environmental calamities if the whole world doesn't [make urgent and concerted efforts to] change tracks by mid-century…The impacts would fall especially hard on the poor and in several frail regions, but no part of the planet would escape them…Because climate plays such a significant role, avoiding the collapse of ecosystems entails rapidly cutting net emissions of carbon dioxide to zero in the next few decades…This goes even beyond the complete and rapid shift from uncontrolled use of fossil fuels to clean energy that scientists say is needed to avoid unacceptable climate risks.

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…The rising seas and increased extreme weather events of climate change—fires, floods, pestilence and drought—have already caused widespread harm to biodiversity…Even at 1.5°C to 2°C of warming—the goals of the Paris climate agreement—the report warns that the ranges of most of the world's species on land will shrink significantly. At 2°C of warming, the report warns that 5 percent of species will be at risk of extinction. At 4.3°C—our current track of warming—that rises to 16 percent of species…To make the changes required to save biodiversity and the climate, the report…urges a global revolution—a shift in the way humans consume material goods, how we value the natural world, and how we account for nature in the way we develop our businesses and economies…” click here for more

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