One million species risk extinction due to humans: draft U.N. report
5 years, 8 months ago

One million species risk extinction due to humans: draft U.N. report

The Hindu  

Up to one million species face extinction due to human influence, according to a draft U.N. report obtained by AFP that painstakingly catalogues how humanity has undermined the natural resources upon which its very survival depends. ‘Mass extinction event’ The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report warns of “an imminent rapid acceleration in the global rate of species extinction”. Population growth “If we’re going to have a sustainable planet that provides services to communities around the world, we need to change this trajectory in the next ten years, just as we need to do that with climate,” noted WWF chief scientist Rebecca Shaw, formerly a member of the U.N. scientific bodies for both climate and biodiversity. “There are also two big indirect drivers of biodiversity loss and climate change — the number of people in the world and their growing ability to consume,” said Mr. Watson.

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History of this topic

How many species could go extinct from climate change? It depends on how hot it gets.
1 month ago

How many species could go extinct from climate change? It depends on how hot it gets.

NPR  

How many species could go extinct from climate change? toggle caption Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty/Universal Images Group Editorial To consider how climate change could cause some extinctions, imagine a tiny mountain bird that eats the berries of a particular mountain tree. Sponsor Message Scientists call this mountain phenomenon the "escalator to extinction" and it's just one way climate …

Slight progress in global biodiversity protection efforts but some species decline, new reports find
2 months, 1 week ago

Slight progress in global biodiversity protection efforts but some species decline, new reports find

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Disappearing acts: Dark extinctions are claiming species before we find them
1 year, 1 month ago

Disappearing acts: Dark extinctions are claiming species before we find them

Hindustan Times  

Dead as a dodo, we say, because there is nothing that bird is more famous for than being extinct. “Dark extinctions are particularly worrying because they make it difficult to assess the true impacts of human activities on biodiversity,” says theoretical ecologist Ryan Chisholm of the National University of Singapore. “Because the demise of one keystone species can set off …

We're all gonna die! How the idea of human extinction has reshaped our world
1 year, 3 months ago

We're all gonna die! How the idea of human extinction has reshaped our world

Salon  

The topic of human extinction — its possibility, its likelihood, even its inevitability — is everywhere right now. Over the next few decades, scientists reported that our world was careening toward a “dead stagnant state.” Philosophers lamented, as Bertrand Russell wrote, that “all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human …

Half of animal species in population decline worldwide, research finds
1 year, 7 months ago

Half of animal species in population decline worldwide, research finds

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Almost half of the animal species on the world’s surface are currently undergoing declines in …

Earth could face a mass EXTINCTION by 2100
2 years ago

Earth could face a mass EXTINCTION by 2100

Daily Mail  

Earth faces a mass extinction by 2100 that could wipe out more than a quarter of world biodiversity, a new study warns. Earth will lose some 10 per cent of its animals and plants by 2050, rising to 27 per cent by 2100 The world has experienced five mass extinctions over the course of its history, and experts claim a …

‘Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction’: UN
2 years, 1 month ago

‘Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction’: UN

Al Jazeera  

UN chief Antonio Guterres says the COP15 talks on biodiversity must stop humanity from ‘committing suicide by proxy’. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has slammed multinational corporations for turning the world’s ecosystems into “playthings of profit” and warned failure to correct course would lead to catastrophic results. “With our bottomless appetite for unchecked and unequal economic growth, humanity has become a …

‘Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction’: UN
2 years, 1 month ago

‘Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction’: UN

Al Jazeera  

UN chief Antonio Guterres says the COP15 talks on biodiversity must stop humanity from ‘committing suicide by proxy’. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has slammed multinational corporations for turning the world’s ecosystems into “playthings of profit” and warned failure to correct course would lead to catastrophic results. “With our bottomless appetite for unchecked and unequal economic growth, humanity has become a …

Mass extinction of up to 90 PERCENT of all marine species could happen by 2100
2 years, 4 months ago

Mass extinction of up to 90 PERCENT of all marine species could happen by 2100

Daily Mail  

Nearly 90 percent of all marine species are at high or critical risk of going extinct by the end of the century if humans do not curb greenhouse emissions, a new study warns. A team of researchers led by Dalhousie University in Canada, evaluated climate risks of nearly 25,000 species that live in the upper 328 feet of the ocean …

‘Climate endgame’: Potential for environmental crisis to end humanity is ‘dangerously underexplored’
2 years, 5 months ago

‘Climate endgame’: Potential for environmental crisis to end humanity is ‘dangerously underexplored’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “There are plenty of reasons to believe climate change could become catastrophic, even at modest levels of warming,” said …

Op-Ed: Is humanity doomed? That depends on us
2 years, 9 months ago

Op-Ed: Is humanity doomed? That depends on us

LA Times  

Concern over the world having too many people or too few has led some public figures to predict doom for humanity. Tech billionaire Elon Musk sounded an old alarm in December when he claimed that declining births are “one of the biggest risks to civilization.” “Please look at the numbers,” he implored the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council. Low genetic …

Earth's sixth mass extinction is HERE: Humans caused disappearance of 260,000 species since 1500
2 years, 11 months ago

Earth's sixth mass extinction is HERE: Humans caused disappearance of 260,000 species since 1500

Daily Mail  

Earth has experienced five mass extinctions caused by natural phenomena, but a new study suggests a sixth event is underway and human activities are to blame. Scroll down for video Although some are in denial that the dramatic decline will amount to a mass extinction, billionaire Elon Musk is one who believes increased rates of species extinctions is inevitable Musk's …

Explained: What to expect from the world's sixth mass extinction
2 years, 11 months ago

Explained: What to expect from the world's sixth mass extinction

The Hindu  

About 65 million years after the last mass extinction, which marked the end of dinosaurs roaming the planet, scientists are warning that we are in the early throes of another such annihilation event. Loss of food security "I think the first thing we'll see is that our food supply starts to dwindle quite markedly, because so much of our food …

Earth's five mass extinctions and a sixth could be on the way
3 years ago

Earth's five mass extinctions and a sixth could be on the way

Daily Mail  

Earth's most famous mass extinction event was the giant asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Beginning around 383 million years ago, a series of pulses led to ocean oxygen levels plummeting and ultimately caused 75 per cent of all Earth's species to disappear over a span of 20 million years. Permian-Triassic extinction - 252 million years …

Over 10,000 Species Risk Extinction in the Event of Amazon Destruction, Report Says
3 years, 5 months ago

Over 10,000 Species Risk Extinction in the Event of Amazon Destruction, Report Says

News 18  

More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest – 35% of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published on Wednesday. Science shows humans face potentially irreversible and catastrophic risks due to multiple crises, including climate change …

Find ways to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss together, says UN report
3 years, 6 months ago

Find ways to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss together, says UN report

Firstpost  

Policy responses to both these problem have long been siloed but they worsen each other and are intertwined. To save the planet, the world needs to tackle the crises of climate change and species loss together, taking measures that fix both and not just one, United Nations scientists said. A joint report Thursday by separate UN scientific bodies that look …

Climate and extinction crises must be tackled together, says United Nations
3 years, 6 months ago

Climate and extinction crises must be tackled together, says United Nations

The Hindu  

To save the planet, the world needs to tackle the crises of climate change and species loss together, taking measures that fix both and not just one, United Nations scientists said. Policy responses to climate change and biodiversity loss have long been siloed, with different government agencies responsible for each, said co-author Pamela McElwee, a human ecologist at Rutgers University. …

Humans are causing mass extinction at a rate not seen since the last major extinction event
3 years, 7 months ago

Humans are causing mass extinction at a rate not seen since the last major extinction event

Salon  

Roughly 66 million years ago, an asteroid or comet struck the planet and wiped out three-quarters of every animal and plant species alive. The study, which was published last month in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, closely analyzed past extinction rates for freshwater animals and plants, then used that information to extrapolate likely future extinction rates. "Our results indicate …

Human-driven biodiversity loss faster than mass extinction when dinosaurs were wiped out, study finds
3 years, 7 months ago

Human-driven biodiversity loss faster than mass extinction when dinosaurs were wiped out, study finds

The Independent  

The damage humans are doing to the world is now so great that in some ecosystems the biodiversity loss exceeds the rate of extinction at the time the dinosaurs died out, and the destruction could require millions of years to undo, scientists have said. “We rely on functioning freshwater environments to sustain human health, nutrition and fresh water supply.” The …

At least 97% of Earth's land is no longer 'ecologically intact' - and humans are to blame
3 years, 8 months ago

At least 97% of Earth's land is no longer 'ecologically intact' - and humans are to blame

Daily Mail  

The vast majority of land on Earth – a shocking 97 percent - that is home to millions of species is no longer qualifies as ecologically intact – and humans are to blame, a new study reveals. The authors say that up to 20 percent of the planet's land surface could be restored to intactness through reintroductions of only a …

Are major insect losses imperiling life on Earth?
3 years, 11 months ago

Are major insect losses imperiling life on Earth?

Live Mint  

Chances are, the works of the world’s insects touch your lips every day. And I think the reason is, it’s death by a thousand cuts… most of these things are hit by four or five pretty important stressors, and they’re acting synergistically.” The articles that follow that opening essay zero in on the key causes for some of the biggest …

Insect apocalypse: Climate change, insecticides, invasive species, agriculture causing Earth to loose insects
3 years, 11 months ago

Insect apocalypse: Climate change, insecticides, invasive species, agriculture causing Earth to loose insects

Firstpost  

The world’s vital insect kingdom is undergoing “death by a thousand cuts,” the world’s top bug experts said. Climate change, insecticides, herbicides, light pollution, invasive species and changes in agriculture and land use are causing Earth to lose probably one percent to two percent of its insects each year, said University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner, lead author in the …

Only multi-pronged plan can stich a "safety net" for the natural world, warns scientists
4 years, 2 months ago

Only multi-pronged plan can stich a "safety net" for the natural world, warns scientists

Firstpost  

The UN warned in a landmark report that human activity had “severely degraded” three-quarters of ice-free land on the planet. From preventing the extinction of lions and polar bears to halting the destruction of life-sustaining primary forests, only a multi-pronged plan can stitch together a “safety net” for the natural world, they argued in a peer-reviewed commentary in Science. Originally …

Extinction of 558 Mammal Species Likely by 2100 If Conservation Efforts are Not Upped
4 years, 4 months ago

Extinction of 558 Mammal Species Likely by 2100 If Conservation Efforts are Not Upped

News 18  

By 2100, the number of mammal species going extinct globally is likely to reach 558 if conservation efforts are not stepped up, researchers have predicted. “On the basis of the IUCN -based scenario, we predict 558 mammal species’ extinctions globally by the year 2100,” the study authors wrote. For the study, Tobias Andermann from University of Gothenburg in Sweden and …

The World Is Failing To Stop Extinctions. These Scientists Have A Plan To Help.
4 years, 4 months ago

The World Is Failing To Stop Extinctions. These Scientists Have A Plan To Help.

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING This was the year the world was supposed to tackle the biodiversity crisis head-on. ‘We Don’t Have A Clear Target’ “If you lose species, you’re losing a unique component of life,” said Rounsevell. “Climate change discussions have the 2-degree target, but we don’t have a clear target in biodiversity,” he said. “Honestly, it seems like a naive …

The Extinction Crisis Is Accelerating, New Study Finds
4 years, 7 months ago

The Extinction Crisis Is Accelerating, New Study Finds

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history is accelerating as humans rapidly and relentlessly destroy the natural world, according to a new study looking at the loss of terrestrial vertebrate species. “Thousands of populations of critically endangered vertebrate animal species have been lost in a century, indicating that the sixth mass extinction is human caused and accelerating.” …

Biodiversity crisis: Insect numbers collapse by 25 per cent around the world since 1990
4 years, 8 months ago

Biodiversity crisis: Insect numbers collapse by 25 per cent around the world since 1990

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. An international team of scientists collaborated to compile data from 166 long-term surveys performed at 1,676 sites worldwide, with …

Climate change could wipe out up to HALF of all plant and animal life by 2070
4 years, 10 months ago

Climate change could wipe out up to HALF of all plant and animal life by 2070

Daily Mail  

Climate change could wipe out up to half of all plant and animal life on Earth by 2070 if temperatures keep increasing, study warns. Scroll down for video The common giant tree frog from Madagascar is one of many species impacted by recent climate change Commenting on the findings, study author Dr John Wiens, at Arizona University, said: the results …

WHAT IS EARTH'S SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION?
4 years, 10 months ago

WHAT IS EARTH'S SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION?

Daily Mail  

The world has experienced five mass extinctions over the course of its history, and experts claim we are seeing another one happen right now. A 2017 research paper claimed a 'biological annihilation' of wildlife in recent decades has triggered the sixth mass extinction and says the planet is heading towards a 'global crisis'. There are an estimated 8.7 million plant …

UN sets 2030 biodiversity targets as we face a mass extinction
4 years, 11 months ago

UN sets 2030 biodiversity targets as we face a mass extinction

CNN  

CNN — Almost a third of the Earth will need to be protected by 2030 and pollution cut by half to save our remaining wildlife, as we enter the planet’s sixth era of mass extinction, according to a United Nations agency. “Despite ongoing efforts, biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide and this decline is projected to continue or worsen under business-as-usual scenarios.” …

Planet SOS: Ecological crises affecting our planet
5 years, 3 months ago

Planet SOS: Ecological crises affecting our planet

Al Jazeera  

Most extensive study into life on Earth says natural world is in decline. Planet SOS explores the tension between prosperity and protection as the government in Niger opens up access to its oil reserves within a protected national park. Al Jazeera’s Latin America editor reports from one of the most biologically-diverse places on Earth, Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, and speaks with …

World's most endangered mammal 'to be extinct within a year', scientists say
5 years, 5 months ago

World's most endangered mammal 'to be extinct within a year', scientists say

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One of the world’s most endangered animals could face extinction within a year if illegal …

Slow-lived species likely to become extinct; world will shift to smaller animals over next century: Study
5 years, 7 months ago

Slow-lived species likely to become extinct; world will shift to smaller animals over next century: Study

India TV News  

Smaller birds and mammals, which can thrive in a wide-variety of habitats, are more likely to avoid becoming extinct over the next 100 years, scientists say. "By far the biggest threat to birds and mammals is humankind -- with habitats being destroyed due to our impact on the planet, such as deforestation, hunting, intensive farming, urbanisation and the effects of …

Humans causing shrinking of nature as larger animals die off
5 years, 7 months ago

Humans causing shrinking of nature as larger animals die off

CNN  

CNN — Birds and mammals will shrink in average size over the next 100 years, with the body mass of the latter falling by a quarter, according to a new study. Lead study author Rob Cooke explained that human destruction of habitats, hunting, intensive farming, urbanization and global warming are all to blame, and there could be worrying consequences. Tawny …

Are humans driving Earth to extinction?
5 years, 7 months ago

Are humans driving Earth to extinction?

Deccan Chronicle  

Frogs and toads were so much a part of my growing up. A recent assessment on biodiversity has revealed that the average pace of extinction in recent times has risen several hundred times over the last 10 million years. The earth has experienced five major mass extinctions in its history, beginning with the Ordovician extinction 445 million years ago, the …

Extinctions of million species driven by mankind are looming, new UN report finds
5 years, 8 months ago

Extinctions of million species driven by mankind are looming, new UN report finds

Firstpost  

We can feed the coming billion people without destroying another inch of nature, report says. About three-quarters of Earth’s land, two-thirds of its oceans and 85 percent of crucial wetlands have been severely altered or lost, making it harder for species to survive, the report said. The report comes up with 1 million species in trouble by extrapolating the IUCN’s …

UN report: Humans accelerating extinction of other species
5 years, 8 months ago

UN report: Humans accelerating extinction of other species

Associated Press  

People are putting nature in more trouble now than at any other time in human history, with extinction looming over 1 million species of plants and animals, scientists said Monday. About three-quarters of Earth’s land, two-thirds of its oceans and 85% of crucial wetlands have been severely altered or lost, making it harder for species to survive, the report said. …

Killing off animals and plants now threatens humanity itself, UN experts warn in urgent call for action
5 years, 8 months ago

Killing off animals and plants now threatens humanity itself, UN experts warn in urgent call for action

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Loss of biodiversity threatens the human race just as much as climate change, the experts believe, with up to …

We're in trouble: UN report claims species in Nature are being lost in the thousands
5 years, 8 months ago

We're in trouble: UN report claims species in Nature are being lost in the thousands

Firstpost  

The report reads like a charge sheet against the most destructive creatures in History: HUMANS A landmark UN report on the state of Nature, obtained by AFP, makes for grim reading, showing how humanity has wreaked havoc with the environment. The report, compiled from more than 15,000 academic papers and research publications, estimates that 75 percent of land, 40 percent …

Nature is in the worst shape in human history, U.N. report says
5 years, 8 months ago

Nature is in the worst shape in human history, U.N. report says

LA Times  

Two wild elephants engage in a tussle on the outskirts of Gauhati, India, in 2017. About three-quarters of Earth’s land, two-thirds of its oceans and 85% of crucial wetlands have been severely altered or lost, making it harder for species to survive, the report said. The report comes up with 1 million species in trouble by extrapolating the union’s 25% …

One million species at risk of extinction, UN report warns, and we are mostly to blame
5 years, 8 months ago

One million species at risk of extinction, UN report warns, and we are mostly to blame

ABC  

One million of the world's species are now under threat of extinction, according to the biggest-ever review of the state of nature on Earth. Key points: The report, which draws on 15,000 scientific and government sources, says human use of land and sea resources are mostly to blame The decline in nature is happening at rates that are unprecedented in …

One million species to go extinct ‘within decades’
5 years, 8 months ago

One million species to go extinct ‘within decades’

Al Jazeera  

Relentless global pursuit of economic growth is driving the collapse of life on Earth, landmark UN study says. One in eight of all Earth’s plants, insects and animals are at risk of extinction, many within decades, because of human activity, a huge coalition of the world’s leading scientists announced. An “unprecedented” one million species will die out because of the …

1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction, U.N. Report Says
5 years, 8 months ago

1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction, U.N. Report Says

NPR  

1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction, U.N. Report Says Enlarge this image toggle caption Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images Up to 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species on Earth are at risk of extinction — many of them within decades — according to scientists and researchers who produced a …

UN holds first global study of nature and human race: 100,000 species on path to extinction
5 years, 8 months ago

UN holds first global study of nature and human race: 100,000 species on path to extinction

Firstpost  

With many species on Earth dying, the UN has released a study that was three years in the making. Hidden impacts “We need to recognise that climate change and loss of Nature are equally important, not just for the environment, but as development and economic issues as well,” Watson said. “But our goal is to make sure that governments and …

Earth Day 2019: We need to protect our species to prevent a global ecosystem collapse
5 years, 8 months ago

Earth Day 2019: We need to protect our species to prevent a global ecosystem collapse

Firstpost  

We often don’t pay attention to the fact that our day-to-day existence is inextricably connected with the natural world, the resources it has to offer and the species that thrive on it. The species composition on our planet includes 7.3 percent animals, 7.4 percent fungi, 0.02 percent plants, 7.3 percent protists, and a whopping 78 percent bacteria, according to research …

The climate strike is a source for hope – but new research shows it might be too late
5 years, 9 months ago

The climate strike is a source for hope – but new research shows it might be too late

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In the last week, the UN …

The ‘ecological foundations of society’ are in peril, a massive UN report warns
5 years, 9 months ago

The ‘ecological foundations of society’ are in peril, a massive UN report warns

CNN  

CNN — Human activities are degrading the global environment at a pace that could endanger the “ecological foundations of society” and human health, according to a landmark United Nations report released Wednesday. Addressing climate change is a top priority The authors echo findings from last fall’s UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that, to avoid disastrous levels of global …

Alien species driving global extinctions: Study
5 years, 10 months ago

Alien species driving global extinctions: Study

India TV News  

Alien species -- those not native to a specific location -- are the main driver of recent extinctions in both animals and plants worldwide, according to a study published Monday. Researchers at University College London in the UK found that since 1500 AD, alien species have been solely responsible for 126 extinctions, 13 per cent of the total number studied. …

Mass insect extinction within a century threatens 'catastrophic' collapse of nature’s ecosystems, scientists warn
5 years, 10 months ago

Mass insect extinction within a century threatens 'catastrophic' collapse of nature’s ecosystems, scientists warn

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Pesticide use is driving an “alarming” decline in the world’s insects that could have a …

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