December 26, 2016/in The Cost of Doing Nothing/by DigiTale

CNN has recently created an interactive, and very disturbing, look at the startling reality that the extinction of most species of animals is approaching much faster than most people realize. Human beings are completely to blame and this is the first time in the know history of planet earth that this is the case. Clean air, water and soil to grow food are necessities of life. So are diverse plant and animal populations. There is a strong correlation that as the human population continues to increase, animal numbers are falling.The five major causes of this are climate change, agriculture, wildlife crime, pollution, and disease.

Earth’s living community is now suffering the most severe biodiversity crisis since a meteorite struck about 65 million years ago. That strike injected dust and sulfuric acid into the atmosphere and 76 percent of all living species, including the dinosaurs, were destroyed. Ecologists now ask whether or not the Earth has entered another “major” extinction event. Emergency actions need to take place in order to reverse these disturbing trends.

Animals currently in the most danger of becoming extinct include rhinoceroses, snow leopards, tigers, tuna, elephants, porpoises, gorillas, dolphins, and orangutans. All of these large species play critical roles in their ecosystems.

To a large extent, conserving energy and consuming less of everything will determine whether we as human beings can stop this. Over-consumption, especially among the world’s most well-off, is a key factor in the breakdown of natural systems, overpopulation can’t be ignored. The best ways to address the population problem are to improve women’s rights, provide greater access to birth control, and improving education.

For the full interactive article, CLICK HERE.