Have you ever sat down and thought about how the world would be without the taste of nature? How the morning would feel without birds singing happily? How the drive would be without the sight of trees and the green vegetation? Most of the time, we don't consider this a possibility. However, a report given by WWF during this year's Living Planet Index should be a wake-up call to the entire humanity in matters regarding nature.
The report indicated that human actions have completely destroyed about 60% of the world's mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds since the year 1970. This is a cause for concern, as the numbers are very high. In fact, at that rate, all the animal population will be gone in a span of the next few years. The rate of extinction stands at 1000 times currently, compared to a few years ago when human and animal confrontation was not really a big issue.
I agree that development is important for an economy to do well in the market. Yes, we have to build new manufacturing plants, new buildings have to be put up, and roads have to be constructed, but should we do all these at the expense of nature that has taken so many years to blossom? The major reason why nature suffers is that the global population has largely increased and people have to consume more resources to survive. This pressure in search of food and other resources has led to adverse deforestation, global warming, and a lot of environmental pollution.
Environmental pollution has become so rampant, it is affecting even large water bodies such as lakes and oceans. Beaches, where the white sands used to be, have now taken the form of dumpsites. According to the report given by WWF, there has been an increase from 5% to 90% of the number of seabirds that have consumed plastics and have them in their bodies. Seabirds are not the only victims; fish and other water animals are dying too.
The Director-General of WWF, Marco Lambertini said that it is impossible to have a happy and healthy future on a planet that is destroyed and characterized by empty forests, bad climate, and depleted rivers and oceans. He insisted on the necessity to reverse the damage already done, and the preservation of land and oceans. He highlighted the use of clean energy and food production that is environmentally friendly as some of the means that can be used to restore nature.
This generation was said to be the first generation to come into the realization that the planet is being destroyed and at the same time the last generation who can do something about the situation. This was mentioned by Tanya Steele, WWF, UK CEO. He also insisted on the need for urgent actions especially from the leaders and people who can set in place a global program that will help in recovery from the current effects already experienced.
The call by WWF to this generation ought to be taken seriously if we want to save our planet and nature from extinction. It's high time you asked yourself, "What am I doing about it?"
