Topic: Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity loss describes the decreasing variety of species and ecosystems that survive on Earth. Biodiversity loss specifically due to human activity has been at an all-time high since 1955.

The United Nations climate action research has shared that biodiversity loss is the result of the destruction of habitats and ecocide, with an emphasis on the loss due to creation of food for humans. Studies have shown that food production globally has contributed to the greatest amount of biodiversity loss as a planet. Recent studies have shown that agriculture and food production have threatened 86% of all species, putting them at risk for extinction. The carbon footprint left by humans has the most significant effect on biodiversity, primarily from food production and housing, as well as transportation including cars. Studies have shared that food production makes up close to “30% of total human-produced emissions,” which contributes not only to our overall carbon footprint, but our cropland footprint as well since we use farming, grazing, and other techniques to produce our food.

Not only does food production and emissions directly contribute to biodiversity loss, but overall climate change as well. Millions of species are facing extinction and ecosystems like rainforests and coral reefs are severely threatened due to ocean temperatures rising and other effects on the planet due to climate change. The impacts of climate change on forests in particular causes a great deal of biodiversity loss. The Amazon rainforest, which has the greatest biodiversity among forests, is particularly affected by climate change. In turn, the biodiversity loss within large forests further increases global greenhouse gas emissions.

Initiatives like the Endangered Species Act, National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans, United Nations Protected Areas, Sustainable Development Goals, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework have attempted to counter biodiversity loss with national and global action plans.

©2024 ClimateLit (Maya Symonanis with later edits by Emily Midkiff)

Related terms. Biodiversity, Climate Change, Collective Action, Ecocide, Extinction, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Species Richness

Related literature items. David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet

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    Subtopics: Extinction

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    by Shaun Tan

    “We promised to set things right. But so many years have passed now, and … we just don’t know how to get it down”

    by Becky Chambers

    “It is difficult for anyone born and raised in human infrastructure to truly internalize the fact that your view of the world is backward… even if you know that the wilderness is the default state of things…. you will still struggle to understand that human constructs are carved out, and overlaid, that these are the places that are the in-between, not the other way around.”

    by Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier

    “Modern human civilization has developed within just 10,000 years, yet our success as a species has tipped the planet’s systems outside their natural limits.”

    by K. O'Neill

    “I know our village is small, and we can only do small things to help the sea. But I still think we should do them. Even if other people are harming the reef, it doesn’t make it okay for us to as well.”

    by Jon Scieszka

    “So now it’s up to you to figure a way out. You can: a) Burn less fossil fuels or b) Find another planet with air and water and plants and animals, just like Me.”

    by Jon Scieszka

    “Even though the Water Planet did not turn out to be a good Goldilocks Planet, it did turn out to be a good lesson on how to take care of a planet.”

    by Sy Montgomery

    “School is not the only place to find a teacher.”

    by Brian Selznick

    “Merwin. All life is in danger. Remember, life began as a gift, and it must always be treated as such. No matter how unstoppable the danger seems, no matter how unavoidable, there’s always something you can do.”

    by Claudia McGehee

    “No water – no water bugs, no frogs, no birds, and no brook trout. The lost creek was quiet under the sun.”

    by Jonnie Hughes

    “This is not about saving our planet, it’s about saving ourselves. The truth is, with our without us, the natural world will rebuild.”

    by Amy Allgeyer

    “I nod, but my mind’s fixed on something else—something abnormal in the valley. Something that might be causing all those health problems. And that something is bright orange.”

    by Magic Pockets

    “For thousands of years, our clan has protected the island’s ecosystem.”

    by Emma Reynolds

    “We can’t eat money or drink oil. One day I will be an ancestor and I want my descendants to know I used my voice so they can have a future.”

    by Stacy McAnulty

    “You can call me Planet Awesome.”

    by Ben Okri

    “You humans seem to think that we trees are just decoration. But we are beings like you. We feel. We respond to love and attention. You should see how we glow when we are loved.”