During this ritual, long lines of customers hit the malls and often get injured or trampled — but people are convinced that it's an effort worth the trouble. In the age of Anthropocene, humans may feel entitled to pin hope on technology to fix any problems so that they can continue to do what they are doing.
Faced with the accumulation of long-lived plastic in the environment, for example, a spurt of innovation led to biodegradable coffee cups, bags for life and reusable straws.
But while it is true that a sustainable growth model that includes our environment has much larger potential to persist, we need a different approach to sustainability that addresses our massive consumerism. The Covid has reminded us how fragile and unprepared human civilisation is when it comes to even known knowns like a pandemic. It has also taught us that human behaviour can be modified with minor actions like wearing mask to mitigate the intensity of global tragedies.
The passive approach to proliferation of anthropogenic mass is not merely due to the lack of knowledge about its impact, but in general, it has also to do with human inclination t o dismiss facts that don't fit their worldview. Humans are naturally disposed to disregard issues that are not challenging their daily lives or those which dilute their convenience. Additionally, humans might find the solace in the thought that nature might equip organisms to survive, no matter what we do.
It is true that the slow and gradual, Darwinian-style evolution through natural selection is often overtaken in certain extremely polluted environments. In , a team of scientists in Japan found a strain of bacteria from bottle recycling facility that can break down and metabolise plastic. On the other hand, this finding shows the subtle and powerful ways in which human actions are changing the life on this planet.
The adaptation of organisms in response to pollutants is a complex phenomenon. Research indicates that negative effects induced by pollution often worsen over multiple generations , although the coping mechanism vary in different species.
The rapid depletion of natural resources and biodiversity is not a normal evolutionary race that nature is used to. While some species can certainly adapt to the changes taking place in our environment, humans are no longer a mere species that follows Darwinian evolution but a much larger force that has come to drive evolution on this planet. Studies have shown that for most species, evolutionary adaptation is not expected to be sufficiently rapid to buffer the effects of environmental changes being wrought by human activity.
And our own species will be no exception to this. While there is no proof that we will destroy ourselves, there are clear indications that we ignore the effects at our own peril. For example, some of the mass extinctions in the Earth's history are related to acidification of oceans.
The oceans may be acidifying faster today than they did in the last million years, primarily due to human activities. Can the species we share the planet with adapt fast enough to cope with the new world we are creating for them? Widespread degradation of ecosystems threatens the conditions of life on Earth, in particular the long-term survival of our own species. Our impact on the planet is much is deeper than carbon footprints or global warming. It points to a future where the effects of anthropogenic matter will take over — if it hasn't already — the identity of the Earth and its life.
In the face of this, humans themselves might lose out in the evolutionary race. Eliminating materials like concrete or plastic or replacing them with alternatives is not going to address the fundamental problem with human attitudes and our unparalleled appetite for more. This is exactly where materialism can seamlessly transform into a known unknown risk factor in global catastrophe. The myriad of ways in which it can turn this planet into a mundane world is something our civilisation has never experienced before.
In the absence of a fully secure evolutionary shield, we could depend on our intelligence to survive. Water birds, such as ducks, geese, herons and grebes, and threatened raptors, such as the Egyptian vulture and the bearded vulture, are severely affected when their nesting areas are destroyed.
This has negative consequences for the environment within and outside Europe. European production and consumption, which is higher than the global average, contribute to environmental degradation in other parts of the world.
Even after reforestation, the nature of human-managed forests is different. For example, the habitat can be negatively affected if there are fewer trees of different species and ages. Despite all the protection measures, we still see local deforestation and clearcutting without new trees being planted in Europe. The removal of dead and old trees and the reduction in old-growth forests affects many species of insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, bats and small mammals, such as the western barbastelle, the Caucasian squirrel and the forest dormouse.
At least 52 million wild birds are hunted by humans every year in Europe, according to research that covers 26 European countries. Moreover, illegal killing is threatening many species, particularly birds and mammals, while feral and free-ranging cats and dogs present an additional threat. Fish are affected by harvesting, as are marine mammals, such as the short-beaked common dolphin and the harbour porpoise, which sometimes fall prey to bycatch.
Even when we try to enjoy nature, we may unwillingly harm habitats and species around us. Many recreational activities, such as outdoor sports, leisure aircraft, drones, human trampling and unregulated wildlife watching , can be very damaging to nature.
Sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, Europeans have brought new plants and animal species to the continent. These new species are sometimes taking over habitats and disturbing ecosystems, which is why they are called invasive alien species.
There are also alien species of plants that are taking over from local ones. False indigo-bush, Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam are just some examples. Climate change is already affecting life in Europe, with increased temperatures, droughts, changes in rain patterns, wildfires and less snow.
It is seen as an emerging threat to European species, and it will affect more and more animals and plants. We are witnessing local and regional extinctions of species, as well as a move of the species northwards and uphill. Amphibians, birds and bats are the most affected species by droughts and changes in rain patterns.
To mitigate climate change, we need to produce energy in a sustainable way. Europe is leading the efforts towards decarbonisation, aiming to be carbon neutral by This is a critical goal but, in some cases, development of renewable energy can harm habitats and species.
For example, wind turbines can create a threat to bats and birds, which can collide with the blades, and dams can block the passage of sediments and migratory fish. It is crucial, therefore, that all measures towards decarbonisation are taken in a coordinated manner with biodiversity policies, to minimise the impacts on animals and habitats. There are many good solutions that benefit both climate and nature, such as improving the state of soils.
The factors described above are the most serious pressures on nature, in Europe, but they are not the only ones.
Noise and light pollution coming from human activity also harm many species. There are many issues to tackle, but what is clear is that humans must learn again how to give space for nature to thrive. Failing to do so urgently could have consequences we cannot reverse. Software updated on 09 November from version Code for developers. Systems Status. An example of a nexus approach would be to reduce biodiversity loss by changing how we farm, while at the same time making sure people have enough food, their livelihoods are not undermined, and social conflicts are not aggravated.
The way to avoid some of these issues may be to focus on regenerating and restoring high-carbon ecosystems such as forests and wetlands. Similarly the need for food could be met by changing dietary choices and reducing waste. Switching to clean energy is an important step which would allow other changes to happen more easily.
Obtaining coal and gas involves destroying vast amounts of land and seascapes as well as polluting the environment beyond extraction. But in order to achieve this fully, the world needs to revaluate current political structures and societal norms, which tend not to value nature. One way of doing that is by improving existing environmental policies and regulations, as well as removing and reforming harmful policies.
The Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity CBD have decided that the IPBES Global Assessment Report will form the scientific and technical evidence base for the intergovernmental negotiations in , to agree on a global biodiversity framework for the next decade and to replace the Aichi Biodiversity Targets that expire next year. IPBES Chair Anna Maria Hernandez concludes, 'This new article makes it even more clear that we need profound, system-wide change and that this requires urgent action from policymakers, business, communities and every individual.
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Skip to content. Read later. You don't have any saved articles. By Tammana Begum. What's causing it? Some things have a direct impact on nature, like the dumping of waste into the ocean.
Coral reefs are bleaching at an unprecedented rate. The report analysed in detail how the world will look under three very different scenarios. Global sustainability: the whole world shifts towards sustainability by respecting environmental boundaries and making sure economic development includes everyone.
Wealth is distributed evenly, resources and energy are used less, and emphasis is on economic growth and human wellbeing. Regional competition: there is a rise in nationalism with the focus mostly on domestic issues.
There is less investment in education, particularly in the developing world. High-income countries will continue exporting the damage, resulting in some strong and lasting environmental destruction for future generations to deal with.
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