BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
(Continued from Sept. 30, 2022)
YES, WE the human species, the ones with the so-called big, intelligent brains, are hell-bent on self-harm and destruction of the natural world. It’s not too late to save the planet but we must act now. Today, we are causing the third great extinction- a million or more plants and animals will be extinct in the coming years as the planet gets hotter. Heat waves could become permanent in places and creatures and plants will not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive.
A new scientific report based on extensive studies and research named The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services says the imminent extinction of almost a million species of plants and animals and fish is caused by climate change and how humans are affecting the planet. The report says the following:
Globally about 50,000 wild species are used for food, energy, medicine, material, and other purposes through fishing, gathering, logging, and terrestrial animal harvesting. More than 10,000 wild species are harvested for human food with one-in-five people dependent on such species for income and food.
About 70 percent of the worlds poor are directly dependent on wild species and on businesses fostered by them. Humans directly consume or use about 7,500 species of wild fish and aquatic invertebrates – 31,100 species of wild plants (including 7,400 trees, 1,500 species of fungi, and 7,400 species of wild trees)1,700 species of wild land-based invertebrates, and 7,500 species of wild amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
We make about 8 billion visits to wildlife-protected areas each year, generating about €600 billion in tourism revenue. One-third of humanity – about 2.4 billion people – rely on fuel wood for cooking, including 1.1 billion people without access to electricity. Two-thirds of global industrial Roundwood is provided by wild tree species. Twelve percent of wild tree species are threatened by unsustainable logging.
One thousand three hundred forty-one wild mammal species are threatened by unsustainable hunting practices, including 669 species already assessed as threatened. Fifty-five percent to seventy-five percent of wild meat biomass is derived from hunting large mammals.
Thirty-four percent of marine wild fish stocks are overfished. Four hundred forty-nine species of sharks and rays are classified as threatened mostly as a result of unsustainable fishing practices.
The annual value of illegal trade in wild species (especially timber and fish) could be up to €196 billion, making it the third largest class of illegal trade worldwide.
This list is based on rigorous scientific research that cannot be ignored. We have to change our way of life to make human survival sustainable. What the research shows is that hundreds of millions of people depend for survival on the natural world of living animals, fish, and plants. We, humans, are devouring these resources and creating an atmosphere that is destroying the life upon which we depend. It is self-destruction with more catastrophic consequences yet to come unless we work together to save the natural world of plants and animals from climate change.
I’m off with the Preda Foundation ecological /organic team to plant 863 mixed fruit tree saplings (no GMO) provided by a partner with the Aeta Indigenous people in the Zambales mountains. They will care and nurture and benefit from them in the years to come. This is the first of several planned plantings this rainy season. If you want to join, contact our Preda Foundation team, and let’s plant trees to save the biodiversity of the planet. (preda.org)/PN
