THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO HUMANITY? WE ARE FACING A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE EXTINCTION OF BOTH ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES. SCIENCE ESTIMATES THAT WE LOSE 3 TO 6 THOUSAND SPECIES ANNUALLY. SPECIES LOSS UPSETS THE ECOSYSTEM THEY OCCUPY CAUSING THE SYSTEM TO FALL OUT OF BALANCE AND UNABLE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, WE ARE DISCOVERING 3 TO 4 THOUSAND NEW SPECIES EACH YEAR AND SCIENCE SUGGESTS WE HAVE ONLY DISCOVERED SLIGHTLY LESS THEN 20% OF THE TOTAL SPECIES ON EARTH.
A RECENT STUDY IN SPAIN, CONCLUDED THAT ONLY 3% OF EARTH’S ECOSYSTEMS, TODAY, ARE IN BALANCE AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL. THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES KEEP THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEMS IN BALANCE, PROVIDING EVERYTHING IN NATURE HUMANS REQUIRE TO SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH. ECOSYSTEM BALANCE DEPENDS UPON BIODIVERSITY. BIODIVERSITY REFERS TH ALL OF LIFE ON EARTH. THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) DESCRIBES DIVERSITY AS, “THE DIVERSITY WITHIN SPECIES, BETWEEN SPECIES AND OF ECOSYSTEMS. IT INCLUDES PLANTS, ANIMALS, BACTERIA, AND FUNGI”. THE IMPACT OF THE HUMAN SPECIES UPON THE NATURAL WORLD HAS RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE NATURAL WORLD SIZE AND ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE LIFE SUPPORTING ELEMENTS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM NATURE. CLOSE TO 80% OF ALL LIVING ORGANISMS REQUIRE FORESTS AND TREES FOR SUSTENANCE. MORE THAN ONE BILLION PEOPLE RELY ON FORESTS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD. TODAY, ONLY 27% OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED LANDS REMAIN TREE COVERED, AND HARVESTING TECHNIQUES AND REGENERATION EFFORTS ARE DESTROYING BIODIVERSITY AT AN ALARMING RATE. ECOSYSTEMS CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT BIODIVERSITY!
THE UN HAS A GOAL OF “A WORLD LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE BY 2050”. MUCH WILL HAVE TO CHANGE IF WE ARE TO MAKE THE SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS TO REACH THIS GOAL. AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACTS OF MANKIND INCREASE. THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU PREDICTS THE WORLD POPULATION WILL EXPAND TO 10 BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050. THIS POPULATION LEVEL WILL STRESS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. WE MUST EXPECT THAT AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPSET ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION BY CONTAMINATING OUR WATER AND LAND SYSTEMS, DEFOREST MORE NATURAL FOREST LANDS, ACCELERATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTE OUR ATMOSPHERE. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT WE HAVE A CRISIS WHICH MUST BE CORRECTED FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE INCLUDING HUMANS!
THE WAY WE USE THE LAND AND SEA IS THE LARGEST CAUSE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS. IN THE LAST 30 YEARS WE HAVE DEFORESTED 420 MILLION HECTARES OF FORESTED LANDS, PRIMARILY TO CONVERT THESE LANDS TO AGRICULTURAL USE. OUR GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS, IN THE ATMOSPHERE, ARE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN THE PAST EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SALT MARSHES AND MANGROVE SWAMPS, ALONG WITH THE MELTING OF THE ARTIC PERMAFROST, IS ADDING LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE INVASION OF ALIEN SPECIES TO ENVIRONMENTS OUTSIDE THEIR NATURAL HABITATS IS CAUSING THE DECLINE AND EXTINCTION OF NATIVE SPECIES AND DEGRADING ECOSYSTEMS. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SUGGEST THAT THESE HUMAN ACTIVITIES WILL RESULT IN THE DECLINE OR EXTINCTION OF ONE MILLION PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS. THIS WOULD BE THE LARGEST LOSS OF LIFE SINCE THE DINOSAURS. THE SKYROCKETING LEVELS OF POLLUTION, THE DESTRUCTION OF NATURAL HABITATS AND LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY ARE RESULTING IN SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON NUMEROUS AREAS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE NATURAL WORLD CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT DIVERSITY. THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS TRULY THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!
IN 2022, THE UNITED NATIONS ADOPTED A LANDMARK AGREEMENT TO GUIDE GLOBAL ACTION ON NATURE THROUGH 2030. 196 COUNTRIES SIGNED THE AGREEMENT WHICH ADDRESSED LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY, RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS. THE AGREEMENT COMMITS THE NATIONS TO REVERSE THE LOSS OF THE NATURAL WORLD 30%, AND PROTECT AND RECOVER 30% OF THE DEGRADED ECOSYSTEMS BY 2030. WE HAVE ONLY SIX YEARS LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL AND LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO DATE. SETTING REALISTIC GOALS AND ESTABLISHING MEANINGFUL PLANS OF ACTION ARE ESSENTIAL, BUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS REQUIRE ACTION BY THE PEOPLE! IT IS LITERALLY UP TO YOU AND ME TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE ACTION. IT WILL NECESSITATE CHANGES IN OUR LIFE STYLES AND ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE OUR HABITS SO FUTURE GENERATIONS CAN SHARE IN THE GOOD LIFE ON EARTH! I FIND A GREAT DEAL OF WRITTEN MATERIAL ABOUT THE ISSUE AND OBSERVE POLITICAL PRESSURE FROM ONE PARTY TO CONSTRAIN THE RELEASE OF GREEN HOUSE GASES INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE, BUT THE ISSUES IS LARGER THAN JUST FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS NEEDS A NEW FOCUS ON ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEMS NEED TO HELP OUR YOUTH UNDERSTAND THE NATURAL RELATIONSHIPS LIFE REQUIRES. OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS NEED TO HIGHLIGHT THE COMPLEXITY AND NECESSITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD TO SUSTAIN LIFE. CREATION MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN DETAIL SO WE CAN BEGIN TO APPRECIATE THE DAMAGE HUMANITY HAS CAUSED. CORPORATE AMERICA MUST SUPPORT INITIATIVES TO CLEAN UP AND PROTECT OUR NATURAL WORLD. IF WE LOSE OUR LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS ONLY NATURE CAN PROVIDE, BUSINESS PROFITS WILL DIE. HAVE WE PROCRASTINATED FAR TO LONG, IS THERE SUFFICIENT TIME TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES? THE GREEDY PRACTICES OF OUR PAST AND THE INABILITY TO SHARE, IS ACCELERATING THE DEMISE OF LIFE ON EARTH! IT IS TIME TO JOIN HANDS AND TAKE A GIANT STEP FORWARD! SPREAD THE FACTS, HELP ORGANIZE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, SUPPORT KNOWLEDGEABLE POLITIAN’S AND LEADERS, ITS OUR COMMITMENT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO HUMANITY? WE ARE FACING A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE EXTINCTION OF BOTH ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES. SCIENCE ESTIMATES THAT WE LOSE 3 TO 6 THOUSAND SPECIES ANNUALLY. SPECIES LOSS UPSETS THE ECOSYSTEM THEY OCCUPY CAUSING THE SYSTEM TO FALL OUT OF BALANCE AND UNABLE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, WE ARE DISCOVERING 3 TO 4 THOUSAND NEW SPECIES EACH YEAR AND SCIENCE SUGGESTS WE HAVE ONLY DISCOVERED SLIGHTLY LESS THEN 20% OF THE TOTAL SPECIES ON EARTH.
A RECENT STUDY IN SPAIN, CONCLUDED THAT ONLY 3% OF EARTH’S ECOSYSTEMS, TODAY, ARE IN BALANCE AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL. THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES KEEP THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEMS IN BALANCE, PROVIDING EVERYTHING IN NATURE HUMANS REQUIRE TO SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH. ECOSYSTEM BALANCE DEPENDS UPON BIODIVERSITY. BIODIVERSITY REFERS TH ALL OF LIFE ON EARTH. THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) DESCRIBES DIVERSITY AS, “THE DIVERSITY WITHIN SPECIES, BETWEEN SPECIES AND OF ECOSYSTEMS. IT INCLUDES PLANTS, ANIMALS, BACTERIA, AND FUNGI”. THE IMPACT OF THE HUMAN SPECIES UPON THE NATURAL WORLD HAS RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE NATURAL WORLD SIZE AND ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE LIFE SUPPORTING ELEMENTS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM NATURE. CLOSE TO 80% OF ALL LIVING ORGANISMS REQUIRE FORESTS AND TREES FOR SUSTENANCE. MORE THAN ONE BILLION PEOPLE RELY ON FORESTS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD. TODAY, ONLY 27% OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED LANDS REMAIN TREE COVERED, AND HARVESTING TECHNIQUES AND REGENERATION EFFORTS ARE DESTROYING BIODIVERSITY AT AN ALARMING RATE. ECOSYSTEMS CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT BIODIVERSITY!
THE UN HAS A GOAL OF “A WORLD LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE BY 2050”. MUCH WILL HAVE TO CHANGE IF WE ARE TO MAKE THE SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS TO REACH THIS GOAL. AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACTS OF MANKIND INCREASE. THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU PREDICTS THE WORLD POPULATION WILL EXPAND TO 10 BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050. THIS POPULATION LEVEL WILL STRESS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. WE MUST EXPECT THAT AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPSET ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION BY CONTAMINATING OUR WATER AND LAND SYSTEMS, DEFOREST MORE NATURAL FOREST LANDS, ACCELERATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTE OUR ATMOSPHERE. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT WE HAVE A CRISIS WHICH MUST BE CORRECTED FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE INCLUDING HUMANS!
THE WAY WE USE THE LAND AND SEA IS THE LARGEST CAUSE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS. IN THE LAST 30 YEARS WE HAVE DEFORESTED 420 MILLION HECTARES OF FORESTED LANDS, PRIMARILY TO CONVERT THESE LANDS TO AGRICULTURAL USE. OUR GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS, IN THE ATMOSPHERE, ARE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN THE PAST EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SALT MARSHES AND MANGROVE SWAMPS, ALONG WITH THE MELTING OF THE ARTIC PERMAFROST, IS ADDING LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE INVASION OF ALIEN SPECIES TO ENVIRONMENTS OUTSIDE THEIR NATURAL HABITATS IS CAUSING THE DECLINE AND EXTINCTION OF NATIVE SPECIES AND DEGRADING ECOSYSTEMS. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SUGGEST THAT THESE HUMAN ACTIVITIES WILL RESULT IN THE DECLINE OR EXTINCTION OF ONE MILLION PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS. THIS WOULD BE THE LARGEST LOSS OF LIFE SINCE THE DINOSAURS. THE SKYROCKETING LEVELS OF POLLUTION, THE DESTRUCTION OF NATURAL HABITATS AND LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY ARE RESULTING IN SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON NUMEROUS AREAS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE NATURAL WORLD CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT DIVERSITY. THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS TRULY THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!
IN 2022, THE UNITED NATIONS ADOPTED A LANDMARK AGREEMENT TO GUIDE GLOBAL ACTION ON NATURE THROUGH 2030. 196 COUNTRIES SIGNED THE AGREEMENT WHICH ADDRESSED LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY, RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS. THE AGREEMENT COMMITS THE NATIONS TO REVERSE THE LOSS OF THE NATURAL WORLD 30%, AND PROTECT AND RECOVER 30% OF THE DEGRADED ECOSYSTEMS BY 2030. WE HAVE ONLY SIX YEARS LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL AND LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO DATE. SETTING REALISTIC GOALS AND ESTABLISHING MEANINGFUL PLANS OF ACTION ARE ESSENTIAL, BUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS REQUIRE ACTION BY THE PEOPLE! IT IS LITERALLY UP TO YOU AND ME TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE ACTION. IT WILL NECESSITATE CHANGES IN OUR LIFE STYLES AND ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE OUR HABITS SO FUTURE GENERATIONS CAN SHARE IN THE GOOD LIFE ON EARTH! I FIND A GREAT DEAL OF WRITTEN MATERIAL ABOUT THE ISSUE AND OBSERVE POLITICAL PRESSURE FROM ONE PARTY TO CONSTRAIN THE RELEASE OF GREEN HOUSE GASES INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE, BUT THE ISSUES IS LARGER THAN JUST FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS NEEDS A NEW FOCUS ON ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEMS NEED TO HELP OUR YOUTH UNDERSTAND THE NATURAL RELATIONSHIPS LIFE REQUIRES. OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS NEED TO HIGHLIGHT THE COMPLEXITY AND NECESSITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD TO SUSTAIN LIFE. CREATION MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN DETAIL SO WE CAN BEGIN TO APPRECIATE THE DAMAGE HUMANITY HAS CAUSED. CORPORATE AMERICA MUST SUPPORT INITIATIVES TO CLEAN UP AND PROTECT OUR NATURAL WORLD. IF WE LOSE OUR LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS ONLY NATURE CAN PROVIDE, BUSINESS PROFITS WILL DIE. HAVE WE PROCRASTINATED FAR TO LONG, IS THERE SUFFICIENT TIME TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES? THE GREEDY PRACTICES OF OUR PAST AND THE INABILITY TO SHARE, IS ACCELERATING THE DEMISE OF LIFE ON EARTH! IT IS TIME TO JOIN HANDS AND TAKE A GIANT STEP FORWARD! SPREAD THE FACTS, HELP ORGANIZE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, SUPPORT KNOWLEDGEABLE POLITIAN’S AND LEADERS, ITS OUR COMMITMENT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS
