5 main reasons for the environmental plight that planet Earth is experiencing

5 Main causes of the environmental plight that planet Earth is experiencing

On June 5, the world celebrated World Environment Day, which – this year – focused on solutions to combat plastic pollutionPlastic pollution. It is no secret to anyone that natural systems – whether marine or terrestrial – are exposed to imminent danger due to plastic pollution, but the ordeals that afflict our blue planet do not stop only with plastic.

In this article, we highlight 5 main causes of the environmental plight of our planet, which are identified by the latest global assessment report, issued by the “Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)”.

Changes in land and sea uses

The most prominent driver of biodiversity loss is the way people use the land and sea, and this includes converting areas of specific types of land, such as forests, wetlands and other natural habitat settlements, through to agricultural and urban uses.

Since 1990, we have lost about 175 million acres of forests, through converting their lands to other uses, and agricultural expansion remains a major driver of deforestation, degradation, and loss of their biodiversity. Therefore, we can say: The global food system is a hidden driver of biodiversity loss, as agriculture alone poses a threat to more than 85% of the 28,000 species at risk of extinction. In addition to the above, random urban expansion and the extraction of materials – such as metals – from the bottom of the oceans pose other dangers that negatively affect the natural environment and biodiversity, and multiply the environmental plight of the planet.

Hence, reconsidering the way urbanization expands, as well as reformulating regulations, is one way to reduce pressure on ecosystems. For example, instead of razing forests for agriculture, degraded and abandoned farmland can be reclaimed, which can support the protection and restoration of vital ecosystems, such as forests and wetlands.

Climate change

Greenhouse gas emissions have doubled since 1980; Average global temperatures rose by at least 0.7 degrees Celsius, and global warming certainly affects many species and ecosystems around the world, especially the most vulnerable ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mountains, and polar ecosystems, as reports indicate that the increase in temperatures resulting from climate change may threaten up to one in every six species on the planet, and increase the environmental plight of our planet.

Ecosystems, such as forests and wetlands, are natural stores of carbon; It is therefore of global importance, and its preservation, restoration and sustainability are of paramount importance. To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. By conserving natural systems, emissions could be reduced by up to 11.7 gigatons of CO2 equivalent per year by 2030; That is, more than 40% of what is needed to reduce global warming.

Pollution and its types

Pollution – this includes pollution by chemicals and waste – is a major driver in the environmental plight of the planet, destroying biodiversity and changing the ecosystem, with direct impacts – in particular – on freshwater and marine habitats. On the other hand, the numbers of plants and insects have diminished. Due to the continued use of highly dangerous and non-selective pesticides.

Marine plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980, affecting at least 267 species, including 86% of sea turtles, 44% of seabirds, and 43% of marine mammals, and air and soil pollution is on the rise.

Globally, the deposition of nitrogen into the atmosphere is one of the most serious threats to the integrity of biodiversity. When nitrogen is deposited in terrestrial ecosystems, a cascade of effects can occur that often leads to an overall decline in biodiversity. Therefore, reducing air and water pollution and safely managing chemicals and waste are of great importance to alleviating the plight of our planet.

The rapacious exploitation of natural resources

The latest IPBES report on the sustainable use of wild species reveals that the unsustainable use of plants and animals threatens not only the survival of one million species around the world, but also the livelihoods of billions of people who depend on these wild species for their food and sources of income.

According to scientists, halting and reversing land and ocean degradation could prevent the loss of a million endangered species and alleviate the environmental plight of our world. In addition, restoring only 15% of ecosystems in priority areas will measurably improve the lives of many habitats; Consequently, extinctions will decrease by approximately 60%.

In light of the above, we have a major role to play in discussing – through international institutions and governments – how marginalized communities – including indigenous peoples – can benefit from the subsistence economy, which is a system that depends on providing and organizing ecosystem services to meet the basic needs of these peoples. Due to its important and vital role in protecting many ecosystems.

Invasive species

Invasive alien species (IAS) are animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms that have entered and established themselves in an environment outside their natural habitat. These invasive alien species pose a major threat; Because of its devastating effects on indigenous flora and fauna, causing the deterioration or even extinction of local species, which in turn contributes to increasing environmental distress.

Perhaps the great development that our global economy has witnessed – and the resulting increase in human mobility and the exchange of goods – has made it easy for many species to move from one environment to another, whether intentionally or not, to the point that it has become common to find species inhabiting new environments thousands of kilometers away from their original habitats.

Invasive alien species have caused animal extinctions – by about 40% – since the 17th century. At the same time, environmental losses from introduced pests in Australia, Brazil, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States – for example – are estimated at more than US$100 billion annually.

For this reason, the issue of invasive species is no less important than the other issues we discussed, and it will require international efforts and coordination. To prevent the movement of alien species from one environment to another, while working to restore ecosystems already damaged as a result of the environmental imbalance that is associated with the invasion of these alien species; All of this is in order to alleviate the consequences of the environmental plight that planet Earth is going through.