One million in danger

| 29 July 2019
minute reading time

The UN warns that one million species face extinction

A landmark report from the United Nations has warned that one million species are now threatened with extinction – many within decades. Extinction happens naturally at a rate of one to five a year, we’re losing species at up to 1,000 times that background rate. The culprits are: changes in land and sea use; direct exploitation (including hunting and fishing); climate change; pollution and invasive alien species. Livestock farming and fishing are at the heart of all of these. Compiled by 145 experts from 50 countries, the report says: “Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history – and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely”. The authors say it’s not too late to make a difference, but only if we start now at every level from local to global.

United Nations. 2019. Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. https://www.ipbes.net

About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
I joined Viva! as a health campaigner in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. My scientific training helped me research and write numerous reports, guides and fact sheets for Viva! including Meat the Truth, Fish-Free for Life, One in Nine (breast cancer and diet) and the substantial report on the detrimental health effects of consuming dairy; White Lies. This accompanied Viva!’s report The Dark Side of Dairy which spelt out the inherent cruelty of dairy farming. We were the first UK group to take on the dairy industry in this way, and many of our supporters go vegan after reading these reports.

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