UN report states that due to human influence, around one million species face extinction, and elucidates how humanity has undermined the natural resources upon which its very survival depends. The report says that the loss of clean air, drinkable water, pollinating insects, CO2-absorbing forests, etc pose threat to climate change. According to the 44-page Summary for Policy Makers, biodiversity loss and global warming are closely linked.
Robert Watson, chair of the UN-mandated body that compiled the report, says that it’s our responsibility to recognise that climate change and loss of Nature are equally important, not only for the sake of the environment but also for development and economic issues. An imminent rapid acceleration in the global rate of species extinction has been warned by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report.
WWF chief scientist Rebecca Shaw noted that to have a sustainable planet that provides services to communities around the world, in the next ten years, we need to change this trajectory and protect our planet. According to the report, the severely altered places are three-quarters of land surfaces, 40 percent of the marine environment, and 50 percent of inland waterways across the globe.
