This latest analysis from Guy dovetails well with our 2018 interview with the indomitable Professor Paul Ehrlich titled: “The Annihilation of Nature”.
"“The numbers are sobering: Overall, there has been a human-driven decline in the populations of all species by 25% over the past 500 years, but not all groups have suffered equally. Up to a third of all species of vertebrates are now considered threatened, as are 45% of most species of invertebrates. Among the vertebrates, amphibians are getting clobbered, with 41% of species in trouble, compared to just 17% of birds—at least so far. The various orders of insects suffer differently too: 35% of Lepidopteran species are in decline (goodbye butterflies), which sounds bad enough, but it’s nothing compared to the similar struggles of nearly 100% of Orthoptera species (crickets, grasshoppers and katydids, look your last)"
We've become the uncaring bully in the in the playground, & we all know how that ends!
I've often thought: "I wish Tardigrades and Phytoplankton were more photogenic and cuter"
The reality is it wouldn't have made a difference!
In Aotearoa NZ "Māui dolphins are now critically endangered, with only about 60 left, and there's estimated to be about 15,000 Hector's dolphins. Both live close to the shore, which makes them especially vulnerable to human impacts and fishing."
No government in NZ has never given them a chance to get through our well-constructed 'Bottleneck" the latest wrecking ball in government are always worse than the last, rinse and repeat!
Thank you for your stunningly detailed comment, Kevin. I'd love to blame your government, although i know my government is worse. We are in the midst of a Mass Extinction Event, the worst one so far by at least three orders of magnitude. The collective demands by humans are simply too large for the remaining species on Earth.
Thank you, too, for sharing my work and adding to it. We all know how this ends: with our end. Being collectively responsible does not soothe my broken heart.
Even dead humans are prioritized. The lavish manicured cemeteries elaborate mausoleums and grave stones constant up keep all rely on oil. So as usual other life will be sacrificed for this insane behavior.
Almost everything in our lives “should be more upsetting to people than it is.” We have been so deeply “programmed” by this set of living arrangements that we can't see the proverbial forest for the trees.
As I've been pointing out for decades, we are one. Nonetheless, division is the order of the day, every day, from the corporate media, government officials, and most paid climate scientists.
Where does it end? Almost certainly with our extinction.
The firefighting behavior outlined in the article - people first, structures/infrastructure second, nature third - should be more upsetting to people than it is. Structures and infrastructure can be rebuilt in a relatively short amount of time. Nature cannot. People have been programmed to put themselves and their stuff over the natural world.
I do think the Australian study is flawed to ask people about saving nature over a person in an emergency, especially with the social training we've had regarding the fighting of fire. But I get that the researchers had to put that element of fear in the question to force people to make a choice.
So yes, it's disturbing that people would allow an entire species to go extinct to save one human (apparently people don't understand the interconnectedness of nature), but shouldn't be surprising. We've been killing off species for hundreds of years to make life more "habitable" for humans.
Thank you for reading this, Guy - appreciate all you do.
This latest analysis from Guy dovetails well with our 2018 interview with the indomitable Professor Paul Ehrlich titled: “The Annihilation of Nature”.
"“The numbers are sobering: Overall, there has been a human-driven decline in the populations of all species by 25% over the past 500 years, but not all groups have suffered equally. Up to a third of all species of vertebrates are now considered threatened, as are 45% of most species of invertebrates. Among the vertebrates, amphibians are getting clobbered, with 41% of species in trouble, compared to just 17% of birds—at least so far. The various orders of insects suffer differently too: 35% of Lepidopteran species are in decline (goodbye butterflies), which sounds bad enough, but it’s nothing compared to the similar struggles of nearly 100% of Orthoptera species (crickets, grasshoppers and katydids, look your last)"
We've become the uncaring bully in the in the playground, & we all know how that ends!
I've often thought: "I wish Tardigrades and Phytoplankton were more photogenic and cuter"
The reality is it wouldn't have made a difference!
In Aotearoa NZ "Māui dolphins are now critically endangered, with only about 60 left, and there's estimated to be about 15,000 Hector's dolphins. Both live close to the shore, which makes them especially vulnerable to human impacts and fishing."
No government in NZ has never given them a chance to get through our well-constructed 'Bottleneck" the latest wrecking ball in government are always worse than the last, rinse and repeat!
Yet the battle continues!
https://kevinhester.live/2018/06/07/professor-paul-ehrlich-the-annihilation-of-nature/
Thank you for your stunningly detailed comment, Kevin. I'd love to blame your government, although i know my government is worse. We are in the midst of a Mass Extinction Event, the worst one so far by at least three orders of magnitude. The collective demands by humans are simply too large for the remaining species on Earth.
Thank you, too, for sharing my work and adding to it. We all know how this ends: with our end. Being collectively responsible does not soothe my broken heart.
Even dead humans are prioritized. The lavish manicured cemeteries elaborate mausoleums and grave stones constant up keep all rely on oil. So as usual other life will be sacrificed for this insane behavior.
Good point, Craig. According to the dominant narrative, even dead humans are worth more than just about everything else.
Almost everything in our lives “should be more upsetting to people than it is.” We have been so deeply “programmed” by this set of living arrangements that we can't see the proverbial forest for the trees.
As I've been pointing out for decades, we are one. Nonetheless, division is the order of the day, every day, from the corporate media, government officials, and most paid climate scientists.
Where does it end? Almost certainly with our extinction.
Thank you for your informed comment, Mez.
The firefighting behavior outlined in the article - people first, structures/infrastructure second, nature third - should be more upsetting to people than it is. Structures and infrastructure can be rebuilt in a relatively short amount of time. Nature cannot. People have been programmed to put themselves and their stuff over the natural world.
I do think the Australian study is flawed to ask people about saving nature over a person in an emergency, especially with the social training we've had regarding the fighting of fire. But I get that the researchers had to put that element of fear in the question to force people to make a choice.
So yes, it's disturbing that people would allow an entire species to go extinct to save one human (apparently people don't understand the interconnectedness of nature), but shouldn't be surprising. We've been killing off species for hundreds of years to make life more "habitable" for humans.
Thank you for reading this, Guy - appreciate all you do.