Post by Little Jack Horner on Jan 16, 2022 5:31:05 GMT
The term “anthropocene“ has recently entered the lexicon. It relates to the notion that the world is undergoing a mass extinction of species of animals and plants and although it is, admittedly, not a linguistic topic I hope that, as a regular contributor to this forum, I may be permitted to hijack a thread for a personal campaign. Perhaps it will encourage some new contributors to the forum.
COP-15, The fifteenth conference of parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, is currently underway. A preliminary, virtual, meeting took place during 2021. This produced an aspirational declaration setting out how the nations of the world could contribute to reversing or at least halting this extinction. Delegates to the meeting undertook to re-convene in April this year for a face-to-face meeting in Kumming, China with detailed proposals from national governments as to how the aspirations of the preliminary meeting can be achieved.
This is an important process.
190 full species of birds and 80 full species of mammals have become extinct in the modern era as well as 30 reptiles, 35 amphibians and 80 fish, a total of 389 species. A rigorous analysis by the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies 223 bird and 203 mammal species as globally critically endangered or in, some cases, possibly even already extinct. 152 species of fish, 41 species of reptiles, and 119 species of amphibians are also listed. This ignores all other species of invertebrate animals and plants which bring the total to 8,404.
The appalling reality is that almost all these extinctions and potential extinctions have been driven or are being driven by human activity.
I hope that readers of this thread will be willing to do a little research to find out more about this existential problem and try to persuade their friends to pressurise their political representatives and governments to produce meaningful commitments which can be adopted at the forthcoming conference. Please do not hide behind the idea that “it won’t make any difference”. The reality is that pressurising politicians does make a difference. Public pressure is why the Atlantic slave trade and apartheid in South Africa were abolished.
Thank you
COP-15, The fifteenth conference of parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, is currently underway. A preliminary, virtual, meeting took place during 2021. This produced an aspirational declaration setting out how the nations of the world could contribute to reversing or at least halting this extinction. Delegates to the meeting undertook to re-convene in April this year for a face-to-face meeting in Kumming, China with detailed proposals from national governments as to how the aspirations of the preliminary meeting can be achieved.
This is an important process.
190 full species of birds and 80 full species of mammals have become extinct in the modern era as well as 30 reptiles, 35 amphibians and 80 fish, a total of 389 species. A rigorous analysis by the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies 223 bird and 203 mammal species as globally critically endangered or in, some cases, possibly even already extinct. 152 species of fish, 41 species of reptiles, and 119 species of amphibians are also listed. This ignores all other species of invertebrate animals and plants which bring the total to 8,404.
The appalling reality is that almost all these extinctions and potential extinctions have been driven or are being driven by human activity.
I hope that readers of this thread will be willing to do a little research to find out more about this existential problem and try to persuade their friends to pressurise their political representatives and governments to produce meaningful commitments which can be adopted at the forthcoming conference. Please do not hide behind the idea that “it won’t make any difference”. The reality is that pressurising politicians does make a difference. Public pressure is why the Atlantic slave trade and apartheid in South Africa were abolished.
Thank you