"Stop biodiversity loss or we could face our own extinction, warns UN" - The Guardian's Jonathan Watts, Nov. 6th, 2018
Article Summary by Milana Baldizzi
In Jonathan Watt's article, we are reminded of how little time we have left to forge laws and acts that will save our planet. In this specific article, Watt focuses on the loss of biodiversity, and how much it differs as a "silent killer". Interviewed is executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Pașca Palmer. She explains how the impacts of loss of biodiversity is not realized and felt until it's too late to fix. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The treaty is dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability. The loss of biodiversity, as it is, is extremely worrying. It is low on the political agenda, and low on the list of priorities. Palmer explains that the already high rates of habitat loss, chemical pollution, and invasive species will only increase in the next 50 years. The picture is extremely worrying. The numbers, Palmer says, are staggering.
This isn't to say, though, that there isn't hope. There are glimmers of hope as several species in Africa have been recovering, forest cover in Asia is slowly increasing, and marine protected areas are widening. Despite the vast amounts of worrying signs and lack of action, there is a steady increase of education and awareness. France's President, Emmanuel Macron, recently noted that the climate issue cannot be solved without a halt in biodiversity loss.
This isn't to say, though, that there isn't hope. There are glimmers of hope as several species in Africa have been recovering, forest cover in Asia is slowly increasing, and marine protected areas are widening. Despite the vast amounts of worrying signs and lack of action, there is a steady increase of education and awareness. France's President, Emmanuel Macron, recently noted that the climate issue cannot be solved without a halt in biodiversity loss.