Devastation - Human’s global impact

Forget for a moment concerns about CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Humanity’s relentless advancement has caused devastation right here on earth, with global wildlife populations being halved in 40 years.

The loss of species is worse than previously thought, the World Wildlife Fund says in its new Living Planet Index.

Populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish declined by an average of 52% between 1970 and 2010 while populations of freshwater species suffered an even worse fall of 76%. These are the living forms that make up the fabric of the ecosystems which sustain life on Earth – humanity’s only home. We ignore the decline of these species at our peril.

The human population has doubled since 1970 and we are now cutting down trees more quickly than they can regrow and harvesting more fish than the oceans can restock.

Nature’s bounty is not limitless and we cannot continue to abuse it without destroying our planet and, ultimately, ourselves.