Global wildlife populations down by half since 1970 - WWF

[Judi Lynn]

Global wildlife populations down by half since 1970 - WWF
Source: Reuters - Mon, 29 Sep 2014 22:01 GMT

By Tom Miles

GENEVA, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The world populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles fell overall by 52 percent between 1970 and 2010, far faster than previously thought, the World Wildlife Fund said on Tuesday.

The conservation group's Living Planet Report, published every two years, said humankind's demands were now 50 percent more than nature can bear, with trees being felled, groundwater pumped and carbon dioxide emitted faster than Earth can recover.

"This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live," Ken Norris, Director of Science at the Zoological Society of London, said in a statement.

However, there was still hope if politicians and businesses took the right action to protect nature, the report said.

"It is essential that we seize the opportunity - while we still can - to develop sustainably and create a future where people can live and prosper in harmony with nature," said WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini.

Preserving nature was not just about protecting wild places but also about safeguarding the future of humanity, "indeed, our very survival," he said.

More:
http://www.trust.org/item/20140929220124-2c2id/

[GliderGuider]

1. And guess what populations rose?

Last edited Tue Sep 30, 2014, 07:12 AM - Edit history (1)

[Nihil]

2. That is a literally incredible statistic ...

> The world populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles
> fell overall by 52 percent between 1970 and 2010

I can't get my mind around the scale of the damage that it represents.

I can relate to all manner of statistics, numbers & events, treat risks in proportion
and understand the nature of the historical record but if any single statement
of a statistic makes me want to go bury my head in the sand it is that one.

Fuck.

[NickB79]

3. We're watching a mass extinction event unfold before our eyes

Fuck.

[GliderGuider]

4. And it's already well underway.

None of this mealy-mouthed "almost" or "perhaps" or "soon". It's been underway for over a century, but we've been too fixated on human issues like economics and politics to even notice, let alone realize what it means.

[The2ndWheel]

5. Right. I'd say we're not watching it before our eyes, because we don't see it

We see going to work and paying the bills. We see making life easier and better for people. Or at least the attempt to do that, as many people still struggle day after day.

I don't know what there is to do about it though. Making a sharper arrowhead made life a little easier, but it led us to this point in history. That's what we do.