Humans are destroying the biosystem we rely on for our existence

[Star Man]

Since Homo (somewhat) sapiens gained rudimentary language about 50,000 years ago, we have been plagued by knowledge of our mortality. With language came a future tense and the certain knowledge that each of us will die. Our species has been in denial of death ever since, and all of the artifacts and creations of our species have manifested denial of death. We so fear death that we kill each other, we kill our environment, and we kill other species. The only "revolution" that will undo what we are doing to ourselves, our planet, and our planetary co-inhabitants is a psycho-spiritual revolution that brings us into awareness of and acceptance of our own mortality. Star Man

Downloaded September 30, 2014 from https://www.commondreams.org/news/20...orting-systems

Published on
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
by
Common Dreams

Planet on the Brink: Human Activity Killing the Planet's Life-Supporting Systems

WWF's state of the planet report reveals alarming and avoidable biodiversity loss by Andrea Germanos, staff writer

Will humanity change course and act within the limits of our finite planet?

Human activity has brought the planet's life-supporting systems to the brink of tipping points, causing an "alarming" loss in biodiversity and critical threats to the services nature has provided humankind.

So finds the newest state of the planet report (pdf) from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which offers a damning look on the health of the Earth.

"We're gradually destroying our planet’s ability to support our way of life," stated Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF.
Among the report's findings is a dramatic loss in biodiversity. Its Living Planet Index, managed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and based on over 10,000 populations of over 3,000 species, shows a 52 percent decline in global wildlife between 1970 and 2010. And that's a trend that "shows no sign of slowing down."

Among the causes of the decline are climate change, habitat loss and degradation, and exploitation.

Breaking these losses down further, the report states that populations of freshwater species have declined 76 percent, compared to losses of 39 percent each for marine species and terrestrial populations.

Region-wise, Latin America has suffered the biggest decline in biodiversity, with species populations plummeting 83 percent.
Global wildlife populations have declined over 50 percent between 1970 and 2010.The impacts of humankind's assault on the planet are not being felt equally, the report notes, as higher-income countries have an "ecological footprint" five times higher than those of lower-income countries. In fact, because of resource imports, high-income countries "may effectively be outsourcing biodiversity loss," stated Keya Chatterjee, WWF’s senior director of footprint.

Looking at humanity's overall "ecological footprint," the report states that we need 1.5 planets to provide for the current demands on nature.

Water footprints are noted as well, and the report states that in some ares "such as Australia, India and USA ...life-giving aquifers are being severely depleted." Agriculture is responsible for the lion's share of use, accounting for 92 percent of the global water footprint...

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