UN report says nature is in worst shape in human history
The report highlighted several ways people are reducing biodiversity, including: Turning forests, grasslands and other areas into farms and other developments. This habitat loss leaves plants and animals homeless.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: ‘Nature is 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 in the United Nations’ first comprehensive report on biodiversity. It’s all because of humans, but it’s not too late to fix the problem, the report said…
It claims… Species loss is accelerating to a rate tens or hundreds of times faster than in the past, the report said. More than half a million species on land “have insufficient habitat for long-term survival” and are likely to go extinct, many within decades, unless their habitats are restored.
The report highlighted several ways people are reducing biodiversity, including: Turning forests, grasslands and other areas into farms, cities and other developments. This habitat loss leaves plants and animals homeless. 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 oceans are not any better off. Overfishing the world’s oceans. A third of the world’s fish stocks are overfished…
The findings are not just about saving plants and animals, but about preserving a world that’s becoming harder for humans to live in, said Robert Watson, a former top NASA and British scientist who headed the report. “We are indeed threatening the potential food security, water security, human health and social fabric” of humanity, Watson told The Associated Press. He said the poor in less developed countries bear the greatest burden’. SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEO: