Earth's Life Support Systems Failing

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/14-4


Published on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 by Inter Press Service

Earth's Life Support Systems Failing
by Stephen Leahy

UXBRIDGE, Canada - The world has failed to slow the accelerating extinction crisis despite 17 years of national and international efforts since the great hopes raised at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The last big promise to act was in 2003, when government ministers from 123 countries committed to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

Experts convening an international meeting in South Africa this week agree that target will not be met next year, which is also the International Year of Biodiversity.

"It is hard to imagine a more important priority than protecting the ecosystem services underpinned by biodiversity," said Georgina Mace of Imperial College in London, and vice chair of the international DIVERSITAS programme, a broad science-based collaborative.

"We will certainly miss the target for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010," said Mace in a statement.

By some estimates, 12,000 species go extinct every year, and the rate is accelerating. Akin to a cataclysmic asteroid, pollution, logging, over-exploitation, consumption, land use changes and engineering projects have produced the planet's sixth great extinction of species.


..more..

[imdjh]

1. Roaches, rats, termite, mosquitoes, flies, gnats, chiggers, sharks, jellyfish,

bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
These are a few of my least favorite things

[G_j]

2. lonely kick..

[Swamp Rat]

3. Oh no! We better start burning all the cannabis fields immediately.

[onethatcares]

5. can't we pull them first to get the weight, then do a

potency test? We could burn them on freaking big spiff at a time, :smoke: :think:

[G_j]

8. ouch!

:cry:

[berni_mccoy]

13. Damnit Swampy, you need to put a GRAPHIC warning on that. I almost lost my lunch

and now I'm sobbing at the sight of that.

:rofl:

[Delphinus]

4. From the article:

Many policy decisions, even green ones, are made without regard to impacts on biodiversity, said Anne Larigauderie, executive director of the Paris-based DIVERSITAS.

For example, government policies that encourage and subsidise the use of biofuels and biomass energy to reduce carbon emissions have largely gone forward with little investigation into the potential impacts on ecosystems.

"Such policy decisions reveal a fragmented view of the world," Larigauderie told IPS in an interview in Geneva last August.

We truly fail to recognize the interdependent web of life - we are all connected.

[G_j]

7. yes, I thought this was a crucial point

to be made. Paying attention to the connections is key.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

6. K&R

[Bonobo]

9. Don't worry, Earth will be fine. It's a hunk of rock in space.

We, however, may be screwed.

[fascisthunter]

10. but, but, but... duh... I gotta make more money... duh

[jgraz]

11. Correction: Earth's life support systems becoming hostile to humans

Life will go on just fine. We just won't be around to see it.

[G_j]

14. that statement is NOT supported by science

eactly what "life" are you talking about?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/earth-faces-catastrophic-loss-of-species-408605.html

Earth faces 'catastrophic loss of species'
By Steve Connor, Science Editor

Thursday, 20 July 2006

Life on earth is facing a major crisis with thousands of species threatened with imminent extinction - a global emergency demanding urgent action. This is the view of 19 of the world's most eminent biodiversity specialists, who have called on governments to establish a political framework to save the planet.

The planet is losing species faster than at any time since 65 million years ago, when the earth was hit by an enormous asteroid that wiped out thousands of animals and plants, including the dinosaurs. Scientists estimate that the current rate at which species are becoming extinct is between 100 and 1,000 times greater than the normal "background" extinction rate - and say this is all due to human activity.

The call for action comes from some of the most distinguished scientists in the field, such as Georgina Mace of the UK Institute of Zoology; Peter Raven, the head of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis, and Robert Watson, chief scientist at the World Bank. "For the sake of the planet, the biodiversity science community had to create a way to get organised, to co-ordinate its work across disciplines and together, with one clear voice, advise governments on steps to halt the potentially catastrophic loss of species already occurring," Dr Watson said.

In a joint declaration, published today in Nature, the scientists say that the earth is on the verge of a biodiversity catastrophe and that only a global political initiative stands a chance of stemming the loss. They say: "There is growing recognition that the diversity of life on earth, including the variety of genes, species and ecosystems, is an irreplaceable natural heritage crucial to human well-being and sustainable development. There is also clear scientific evidence that we are on the verge of a major biodiversity crisis. Virtually all aspects of biodiversity are in steep decline and a large number of populations and species are likely to become extinct this century.

..more..

[glitch]

15. What's a little 65 million year do-over among species?

Or maybe we're talking 350 million year do-over.

No, not laughing either.

[jgraz]

16. Hey, I never said we wouldn't take a lot of species with us.

However, I doubt even our own impending extinction will make us stop overconsuming.

[Gregorian]

12. I just don't see any way out of this situation.

It's not even that we don't all agree that there is a problem that we are causing. It's not even that some people don't care. It is that in order to stop this disaster, people have to stop doing what they've been doing. There was a time when we could do that. That was when we were able to sustain ourselves off of natural resources. That is not the case now. Furthermore, there are sacrifices that even the most intelligent and liberal simply won't do. The most basic thing in life is the very thing that needs to stop. At least for a while. And that isn't going to happen. Especially since most people disagree that it is the very cause of the situation.

I predict a slow, smoldering wreck. The damage is huge, immediate, and accelerating rapidly. Melting modes are multiple, and rapid. But the consequences will be just a dull mess, with some increase in dynamic weather patterns. And eventual recovery to a different plateau of existence.

[HippieCowgirl]

17. Don't Panic. Life will be just fine.

Life always finds a way. I'm 100% positive that the planet - and life, in general, will be thriving here in 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 years (and more). Human survival is iffy. My money is on the insects and migratory mammals.