Biodiversity is a word that describes the immense power in nature. It describes how everything works together to achieve something so beautiful and balanced. We don’t know how it all works or how it all came to be, and we may never find out. What we do know is that humanity is quickly becoming a mono culture, one where humans have the run of the pack. We are at the top of the food chain, but it’s not a very successful crop. Because of this, many people are suffering from poverty, hunger, depression and war. We are running out of time, and it’s more important than ever that we protect biodiversity. We can do this by “adopting a plant-based diet to prevent animal cruelty, making farming more sustainable, bringing more biodiversity into agriculture by stopping the production of pesticides, raising grass-fed animals, and using bio mimicry to bring life back into the ground” (Attenborough, 2020).
We are pushing wildlife away as we make room for the growing population. If we continue at the rate we are going, it’s not going to be very long until we kill this wonderful planet. Countless amazing species are going extinct because of habitat loss, poaching, illegal trading, as well as pollution from industrial agriculture, and climate change; even two degrees colder than usual can be fatal for some. Animals are going extinct, and once they are gone there is very little chance that they will ever come back. This is a problem because the food chain is so inexplicably delicate, if one thing is missing everything has to rearrange itself. This not only takes a long time, but it’s not going to flourish to the point that it was before. We have so little time, the government cannot keep putting this off. We need to change; change the way we think, eat, dress, and listen.
Without biodiversity in forestry, there would be erosion, habitat loss, fires and floods. This is what is happening now. For example, the Amazon rain forest is a rainbow of biodiversity, but it’s being purposefully burned to make space for cattle farms, mining and land development. Once it’s gone, it would take 10 million years to replenish, which is 33 times longer than homo sapiens have been on Earth. The Amazon sequesters 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year that it recycles water and offers material for food, shelter and herbal medicine. We can prevent this destruction by encouraging large areas to be protected and untouched by people, except for scientific conservationists.
We can sign petitions and raise awareness about topics like these while trying to stay safe at home, but this is not enough to create systematic change. To quote Greta Thunberg, “The Paris agreement has been signed, but the 5 following years have been the hottest ever recorded. Commitments are being made, distant hypothetical targets are being set, and big speeches are being given. Yet when it comes to the immediate action that we need, we are still in a state of complete denial. The world can no longer be saved without systematic change. That is no longer an opinion. That is a fact.” We need to inform people, otherwise they won’t accept the change that is needed. Without biodiversity, our vital ecosystems would collapse. In the long term, biodiversity not only makes the planet a cleaner, greener place for future generations, but better supports current events and global issues. The quicker we act, the more affordable and faster it will pay off. In doing so, according to David Attenbourough, “the earth could be a wild place once again.”
References
Altitude Film Entertainment, & Netflix, & Silverback Films (Producers), & Hughes, J., & Scholey, K., & Fothergill, A. (Directors). (2020). David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ourplanet.com/en/video/david-attenborough-a-life-on-our-planet-trailer/ Accessed on Netflix.
Apricot Lane Farms. (2020). About us. Apricot Lane Farms. https://www.apricotlanefarms.com/about-us/our-farm/
Harrell Tickell, R., & Tickell, J., et al. (Producers), & Harrell Tickell, R., & Tickell, J. (Directors). (2020). Kiss the Ground[Video file]. Retrieved from https://kissthegroundmovie.com/ Accessed on Netflix
Meyer, R. (2019, Aug. 24). The Amazon cannot be recovered once it’s gone. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/08/amazon-fires-are-political/596776/
O’Callaghan, P., & Whittle, A., et al. (Producers), & O’Callaghan, P., & Neeves, T. (Directors). (2020). Brave Blue World[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.braveblue.world/ Accessed on Netflix.
Thunberg, G. [@gretathunberg]. (2020, Dec. 10). My name is Greta Thunberg and I am inviting you to be a part of the solution. / As #ParisAgreement turns 5, our leaders present their 'hopeful' distant hypothetical targets, 'net zero' loopholes and empty promises. / But the real hope comes from the people. And it all starts with awareness. / #FightFor1Point5 / A huge thanks to Tom Mustill, Evie Wright and Fergus Dingle for turning my Paris Agreement Anniversary speech into a film!! [Instagram video]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/CIoFY0lJnul/
The World Counts. (2020). Planet Earth. The World Counts.
https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth
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