Just in case you missed this one. The canaries in the coal mine are dying right in front of us. This study shows climate change threatens hundreds of North American bird species with extinction. That’s most of them.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/10/weather/north-american-bird-extinction-audubon-weir-wxc/index.html
Nearly two-thirds of North American birds studied will go extinct if global warming hits 3 degrees Celsius (5.4˚F), a new report from the National Audubon Society finds.
Orioles, eagles, grouse and gulls are among 389 types of bird — 64% of 604 species assessed on this continent — that are highly or moderately vulnerable to climate change, the study says.
And on an even broader scale: Humanity has reduced the total amount of life on earth by about half.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/oct-19-2019-understanding-the-anthropocene-extinction-regenerating-cartilage-and-more-1.5324707/understanding-extinction-humanity-has-destroyed-half-the-life-on-earth-1.5324721
Biomass — the mass of living material like plants, bacteria and animals on Earth — has dropped precipitously since we humans came to dominate the planet.
“If you take the overall biomass on Earth before humanity arrived on the scene, it was about twice what it is now,” said Ron Milo, a professor of plant and environmental sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, in conversation with Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald.
I think we’re at a point where everything around us is the ‘canary in the coal mine’ and the natural world is telling us that there’s a big problem here.- Adam Smith, Canadian Wildlife Service
Any REM fans out there? Michael Stipe is supporting the Rebellion.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/oct/20/michael-stipe-photography-art-solo-single-extinction-rebellion
Or Blondie fans? So is Debbie Harry
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/blondie-singer-debbie-harry-backs-20656117
Here’s my own small musical contribution to the Extinction Rebellion. Take a listen, and I hope it moves you to action.
Addendum on 11/24/2019 Two more species to add to the sad list. The last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia has died. She was named Iman. Rest in peace. https://time.com/5738002/malaysia-sumatran-rhino-extinct/
And, in news this morning that brought tears to my eyes, the Koala bear is declared functionally extinct after 80% of its habitat burns in recent Australian bush-fires. This really is a climate crisis, and though humans are the cause, we aren’t the only victims. Goodbye, Koala bears. Being cute wasn’t enough to survive the human-caused great extinction. I’m so, so sorry. https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2019/11/23/koalas-functionally-extinct-after-australia-bushfires-destroy-80-of-their-habitat/#77dd44dd7bad
Recent Comments