We’ve told you about the Holocene (or Anthropocene) extinction before. As our population grows and we expand out across our planet, we’re reaping more and more. It’s a world where our entitlement and growth have left behind species after species to loss of habitat and eventual extinction.
The numbers are shocking and should be sickening. According to research data, we have extinguished 58 percent of all vertebrate species between 1970 and 2012 (the last full year numbers are available). And if, according to the WWF’s Living Planet Report, we don’t correct our ways, we will lose 2/3 of the entire vertebrate species within 50 years. The loss of species breaks down by land, sea, and freshwater. We’ve eliminated 38 percent of land species, 36 percent of sea life, and a staggering 81 percent of freshwater life.
Over-fishing, poaching, and agricultural expansion all play a huge role in our decimation of the earth’s wildlife. Add in that we throw away as much food as we eat, and the loss of these species becomes even more cynical and senseless.
Let’s stop asking what planet we want to leave our grandkids — using the future doesn’t seem to work well if climate change denial has taught us anything — and ask ourselves what sort of planet we want to live on. Do you want to live on a cold, steel planet devoid of all the wonders of nature a la Coruscant — that is, one huge, dirty city? Or do you want to live on a planet where you can see the wonders of the natural world play out before your eyes and thrive?
(Via Huffington Post)
