WHO alert: “Risk of catastrophic consequences”

WHO alert: “Risk of catastrophic consequences”

Ahead of the COP15 climate meeting in Montreal, Canada, in the second week of December, there is a warning from the WWF, the WWF.

Nature is on its knees and our country’s leaders are risking dire consequences for people, the planet and our economy by not acting, WWF Director Tania Steel asserts in the organization’s Living Planet Report, according to the British newspaper Mirror.

Big reduction in 50 years

Accordingly, the world’s wild animal population has declined by nearly 70 percent in just over 50 years.

This decrease is equivalent to the extinction of wild animals in Europe, America, Africa, Oceania and China.

According to the world’s conservationists, as a result of climate change and its impact on nature.

If you break it down into some typical numbers, the report shows that the decline in species in Great Britain is 50 percent.

But in the Amazon, the place on Earth with the greatest biodiversity, the corresponding figure is 94 percent.

Moving down to the species level in the vast rainforest, the organization captures the plight of the pink river dolphin, which needs access to a balanced habitat.

Fresh water species were affected

This species declined 65 percent between 1994 and 2016. Animals that depend on freshwater in particular have suffered greatly. There, the WWF reported a species decline of 83 percent.

We are rushing towards a hotter planet where nature – and with it our food, our homes and our livelihoods – will not be able to survive without urgent action now, notes the director of the World Wide Fund for Nature, according to the paper.

And she adds:

There is no time to wait – to do so would be the greatest potential betrayal for posterity.

concrete example

The paper quotes Auricélia Arapiun, 35, from the indigenous Tapajos Arapiun community, to give more concrete examples of what it means to influence in everyday life:

– Strong decline in animal numbers. Jaguars were hard to spot, but as hunting grounds and their habitats are destroyed, they come to our villages and kill our dogs.

Tania Steel is now hoping world leaders will take responsibility for Cop15.

Our leaders have a chance, now or never, to show real leadership by accelerating action and delivering on their promises to restore nature and protect our zero-sum goals.

picture: M Silva

Text: Editors