As our planet faces unprecedented challenges, the loss of biodiversity has become a critical concern, with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and human well-being. These articles delve into factors contributing to biodevastation, which is the loss of biodiversity and life. The articles explore the causes, consequences, and potential solutions shedding light on the profound impacts of biodevastation on ecosystems, wildlife, and the delicate balance of our planet.
Articles range from habitat destruction and pollution to the role of human activities in exacerbating the loss of biodiversity. We bring you expert perspectives and actionable steps to address and mitigate the challenges posed by the loss of biodiversity.
Together, let’s explore ways to protect and preserve the richness of life on Earth for current and future generations.
Each article serves as a stepping stone towards a deeper understanding of biodiversity loss and environmental destruction and the urgency to adopt better practices.
Review essay of Jeff Goodell’s excellent book, but critiques Goodell for not putting in larger context which is necessary for more complete understanding.
In Power Metal, Beiser explains why we would need drastic increases in mining of critical metals – including copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and the so-called “rare earths” – if we were to run anything like the current global economy solely on renewable electricity.
Okakah describes the carbon credit system as a “greenwashing” tool: “Carbon credits are a scam. They allow the rich to pollute while pretending to care. Meanwhile, in Africa, our forests, lands, and communities are exploited to prop up this global hypocrisy. Its colonialism rebranded for the climate age.”
The Sahel-wide flooding between June and October has exacted a particularly high toll on the people of Niger, destroying crops, cattle, houses and infrastructure in one of the world’s poorest countries whose economy had already been strangled by the seven month-long sanctions. By late September, at least 339 were killed, many more injured, and 1.1 million people displaced by the floods caused by unprecedented rain affecting almost 190,000 hectares of cultivated agricultural land in a country with one of the highest child malnutrition rates. This climate catastrophe took place as Niger was already suffering under the harsh sanctions imposed by the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), egged on by France, following the ouster of the regime of Mohamed Bazoum, perceived domestically as a puppet of France.
The imperialist states of North America and Western Europe have consistently avoided any admission of culpability for the worsening environmental situation. What has transpired over the decades since the UN Climate Summits were initiated is that false promises of monetary compensation and assistance have been made by the industrial states while none of these pledges have been met. This persistent failure to honor long standing agreements by the West is undergirded by the political divisions prevailing inside the U.S. and other countries. Neither of the political parties has implemented a program in the U.S. to halt and even reverse the rapidly warming of the planet.
The action has to be on the demand side; that is, on transitioning to lifestyles and systems that enable dramatic reduction in resource use. The solution has to be a Simpler Way, involving far resource-simpler lifestyles and systems.
By departing from the imaginary of perpetual economic growth we can realize that the resolvement of our daily problems can come not only from high-tech solutions, which are preferred by the current capitalist standards as more marketable and more prone to planned obsolescence, but also by simpler, older methods and techniques
A string of scientific studies in the past few years suggests that this risk has so far been greatly underestimated,” wrote scientists in a letter to Nordic governments
