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The global population could reach 10 billion by 2050; explosive
population growth is contributing to a broad array of other
challenges for the planet. |
A loss of biodiversity and accelerating climate change in the coming decades coupled with ignorance and inaction is threatening the survival of all species, including our very own, according to the experts from institutions including Stanford University, UCLA, and Flinders University.
The researchers state that world leaders need a ‘cold shower’ regarding the state of our environment, both to plan and act to avoid a ghastly future.
Lead author Professor Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University in Australia says he and his colleagues have summarised the state of the natural world in stark form to help clarify the gravity of the human predicament.
“Humanity is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity and, with it, Earth’s ability to support complex life. But the mainstream is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of this loss, despite the steady erosion of the fabric of human civilization,” Professor Bradshaw says.
“In fact, the scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms is so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts.
“The problem is compounded by ignorance and short-term self-interest, with the pursuit of wealth and political interests stymying the action that is crucial for survival,” he says.
Flinders University Professor Corey Bradshaw summarizes the perspective paper “Underestimating the challenges of avoiding a ghastly future.” Credit: Flinders University
Professor Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University says that no political or economic system, or leadership, is prepared to handle the predicted disasters, or even capable of such action.
“Stopping biodiversity loss is nowhere close to the top of any country’s priorities, trailing far behind other concerns such as employment, healthcare, economic growth, or currency stability.
“While it is positive news that President Biden reengaged the US in Paris Climate accord within his first 100 days of office, it is a minuscule gesture given the scale of the challenge.
“Humanity is running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society robs nature and future generations to pay for short-term economic enhancement today.”
“Most economies operate on the basis that counteraction now is too costly to be politically palatable. Combined with disinformation campaigns to protect short-term profits it is doubtful that the scale of changes we need will be made in time,” Professor Ehrlich says.
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Summary of major environmental-change categories expressed as
percentages relative to the baseline given in the text. Red
indicates the percentage of the category that is damaged, lost, or
otherwise affected, whereas blue indicates the percentage that is
intact, remaining, or otherwise unaffected.
Credit: Bradshaw et al.
LARGE IMAGE
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“What we are saying might not be popular, and indeed is frightening. But we need to be candid, accurate, and honest if humanity is to understand the enormity of the challenges we face in creating a sustainable future.
“Without political will backed by tangible action that scales to the enormity of the problems facing us, the added stresses to human health, wealth, and well-being will perversely diminish our political capacity to mitigate the erosion of the Earth’s life-support system upon which we all depend.
“Human population growth and consumption continues to escalate, and we’re still more focused on expanding human enterprise than we are on devising and implementing solutions to critical issues such as biodiversity loss. By the time we fully comprehend the impact of ecological deterioration, it will be too late.
“Without fully appreciating and broadcasting the scale of the problems and the enormity of the solutions required, society will fail to achieve even modest sustainability goals, and catastrophe will surely follow,” Professor Blumstein concludes.
Flinders University Professor Corey Bradshaw describes how humanity is running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society robs nature and future generations to pay for short-term economic gain today. Credit: Flinders University
The experts say their ‘perspective’ paper, which cites more than 150 studies, seeks to outline clearly and unambiguously the likely future trends in biodiversity decline, mass extinction, climate disruption, planetary toxification, all tied to human consumption and population growth to demonstrate the near certainty that these problems will worsen over the coming decades, with negative impacts for centuries to come.
It also explains the impact of political impotence and the ineffectiveness of current and planned actions to address the ominous scale of environmental erosion.
Reference: “Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future” by Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Paul R. Ehrlich, Andrew Beattie, Gerardo Ceballos, Eileen Crist, Joan Diamond, Rodolfo Dirzo, Anne H. Ehrlich, John Harte, Mary Ellen Harte, Graham Pyke, Peter H. Raven, William J. Ripple, Frédérik Saltré, Christine Turnbull, Mathis Wackernagel and Daniel T. Blumstein, 13 January 2021, Frontiers in Conservation Science.
Links
- Humans Face a “Ghastly Future” Unless Extraordinary Action Is Taken Soon on Sustainability.
- More Than a Third of Antarctic Ice Shelf Area at Risk of Collapse As Planet Warms
- Sea Ice Highs and Lows 2020–21: Downward Trends in Polar Ice Continue
- Shocking Study Finds That 97% of Earth’s Land Area May No Longer Be Ecologically Intact
- How Bioenergy With Carbon Capture and Storage Could Help Stabilize the Climate Without Breaking the Bank
- Climate Change Has Shifted the Axis of the Earth
- Ocean Temperature Reconstructed Over the Last 700,000 Years Using Air Bubbles Trapped in Glacier Ice
- Mysterious Melting of Earth’s Crust in Western North America Investigated by Scientists
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