NEWS IN AGRIC
World must undergo huge social and financial transformation to save future of human life, major report finds
Friday, August 02, 2019 |
| Giraffes and other mammals, insects and fish are all declining as their habitat is lost and the climate changes ( Getty/iStock ) |
‘It’s time to rethink how we grow food, travel and look after the countryside: it may mean hard choices but the rewards are enormous’
The world’s social and financial systems must undergo a huge transformation to revive the natural world that is vital for human life, a major UN report has concluded.
There should be an end to the focus on economic growth, international scientists warn.
They also say consumers in wealthy countries should waste less food, while world leaders should introduce urgent reforms including creating more green space in cities, bring in wildlife-friendly farming and curb wasteful consumption.
In the first comprehensive report on biodiversity by the UN, governments are also called on to:
- restore habitats such as native forests
- grow more food on less land
- crack down on illegal logging and fishing
- create marine protected areas
- reduce pollution and the flow of heavy metals and untreated wastewater into the environment
The study, endorsed by 130 countries, including the US, Russia and China, sets out a framework for halting what has been dubbed the sixth mass extinction of life on Earth, from insects to plant life and fish. It is the strongest call ever by global scientists for action.
But the experts warned that “vested interests” such as energy giants and farmers that benefit from subsidies and lack of regulations would oppose changes to the status quo.
Species are being lost at an “unprecedented” rate – tens or hundreds of times more quickly than in the past, the report states.
Without “transformational change”, the damage will continue or worsen up to 2050 and beyond, directly threatening human wellbeing worldwide, the study says. It will also undermine efforts to tackle poverty and hunger, improve health and curb climate change.
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what do you make of this guys?