Planet’s plea - Ecosystems at risk

Another threat to our planet — if Messrs Trump, Putin and Assad were not sufficient — is posed by the loss of biodiversity, as highlighted this week by more than 500 scientists, including a Trinity College research fellow, who have reported on the state of eco-systems worldwide.

The bad news is that biodiversity on which societies depend for food security, livelihoods and a sense of general well-being is being by trashed climate change, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and pollution. It comes with a coda: The economic growth we want cannot be achieved if the degradation of ecosystems is allowed to continue. The consoling news is that Ireland’s scientists are among those helping to produce the evidence that governments must see if biodiversity loss is to be arrested and reversed.