简介： Last year a WWF report, stated that the mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian populations have shrunk by 60 per cent in just over 40 years. According to a recent UN report, nearly a third of corals around the world and more than a third of marine mammals are threatened with extinction. The abundance of native species in most major land habitats has fallen by a fifth, mostly since 1900, and earlier this year, scientists from around the world published their most thorough review of the current state of the natural world to date.
Shockingly, the UN report warned that around a million species of plants and animals face extinction, many within decades if urgent action isn’t taken. Extinction is a natural part of life but this time it’s different. The rate of change during the past 50 years is unprecedented in human history and could change our planet forever.
Extinction: The Facts looks beyond our emotions to investigate what the extinction crisis means, not just for the planet but for every one of us. World-leading scientists will explore why species are disappearing at such an alarming rate and will ask what that means for humanity: Planet Earth owes its incredible biodiversity to an incredibly complex but delicate eco-system. Everything in nature is connected so the loss of one species can cause entire ecosystems to collapse, eco-systems we depend on for food, water and resources. The blue whale, the biggest mammal on earth, cannot survive without plentiful supplies of krill, one of the smallest animals in the ocean. It’s said that food supplies for the human population could be threatened if the decline of pollinating insects continues.
Pollution, deforestation and overfishing are threatening the delicate balance of our world. Sales of reusable coffee cups have reached unprecedented levels. But even if more people than ever are changing their habits for the planet, is it enough?
