It’s World Wildlife Day and unfortunately UFC35 is the top trending tag on Twitter. It’s a bleak commentary on where we are as a society. However, let’s not be discouraged. Today is a reminder that humans share this big rock with millions of other creatures and that we can make a difference.
The Bad News
We’re having an extinction crisis.
From www.biologicaldiversity.org
It’s frightening but true: Our planet is now in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals — the sixth wave of extinctions in the past half-billion years. We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year. Scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day [1]. It could be a scary future indeed, with as many as 30 to 50 percent of all species possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century [2].
The Good News
Organizations like 4ocean are making a real difference. This team of surfers has created an organization that pays people from around the world to help clean the oceans. The easiest way to support their efforts is by buying one of their bracelets made of recycled plastic.
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