"When the Earth is sick,
the animals will begin to disappear,
when that happens,
The Warriors of the Rainbow
will come to save them."
- Chief Seattle
the animals will begin to disappear,
when that happens,
The Warriors of the Rainbow
will come to save them."
- Chief Seattle
Bringing Back to Life Extinct Species
Holocene Extinction
Sixth Mass Extinction
- Hundreds of species and myriad populations are being driven to extinction every year.
- Almost 200 species of vertebrates have gone extinct in the last 100 y. These represent the loss of about 2 species per year.
- In the last few decades, habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive organisms, pollution, toxification, and more recently climate disruption, as well as the interactions among these factors, have led to the catastrophic declines in both the numbers and sizes of populations of both common and rare vertebrate species.
- The most recent Living Planet Index (LPI) has estimated that wildlife abundance on the planet decreased by as much as 58% between 1970 and 2012.
- as much as 50% of the number of animal individuals that once shared Earth with us are already gone, as are billions of populations.
- The likelihood of this rapid defaunation lies in the proximate causes of population extinctions: habitat conversion, climate disruption, overexploitation, toxification, species invasions, disease, and (potentially) large-scale nuclear war--all tied to one another in complex patterns and usually reinforcing each other’s impacts.
- Much less frequently mentioned are, however, the ultimate drivers of those immediate causes of biotic destruction, namely, human overpopulation and continued population growth, and overconsumption, especially by the rich.
- We emphasize that the sixth mass extinction is already here and the window for effective action is very short, probably two or three decades at most.
Ceballos, Gerardo, Ehrlich, Paul R., Dirzo, Rodolfo, Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines. (Mexico City: UNAM, 2017), http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1704949114. pdf
What is an invincible shield good for?
Only to Save the Planet
Only to Save the Planet
Heavenly Father: Truly I tell you, he has more faith than all of you.
Saints: But he learned from what You taught us.
Heavenly Father: And you walked with Me.
Heavenly Father: ¿Are you questioning Me?
Saints: No, please forgive us. We still have so many things to learn from You.
Saint Peter: You are right. He created a shield to protect himself at work.
Heavenly Father: He has shown Me his faith just by coming here.
Saints: But he learned from what You taught us.
Heavenly Father: And you walked with Me.
Heavenly Father: ¿Are you questioning Me?
Saints: No, please forgive us. We still have so many things to learn from You.
Saint Peter: You are right. He created a shield to protect himself at work.
Heavenly Father: He has shown Me his faith just by coming here.
Respect the Planet
Each one of us has the obligation
to leave the planet better than how we found it
to leave the planet better than how we found it
Bird feeds its chick with a cigarette butt.
Every Small Act Counts
If you buy food from restaurants to eat at home, don't ask for a plastic fork; use your silverware instead. Don't ask for a straw either; drink from the cup instead. And if you like to drink bottled water, don't throw away the plastic bottle; reuse it instead. You'll use them for a few minutes and they'll end up in the trash, polluting the planet for centuries. Every small act counts to save the planet.