Biodiversity crisis: wildlife faces a catastrophic decline
Since 1970 UK species have declined by about 19% on average, and nearly 1 in 6 species (16.1%) are now threatened with extinction. (1)
Overexploitation, climate change, pollution and deforestation are a few of the factors that might have contributed to this decline. The Earth’s population has doubled since 1970 and the projected world population on January 1st 2024 was 8,019,876,189, an increase of 75,162,541 (0.95%) from New Year’s Day 2023, according to the US Census Bureau. (2)
Consumption has naturally increased in order to feed, clothe and home billions of people along with growing affluence in part of the world. Alongside this has been accelerating biodiversity loss with G7 leaders now committed to the global mission to halt and reverse this by 2030. (3)
What factors lead to biodiversity loss?
Deforestation through human activity such as overexploitation, agriculture, mining, conversion, infrastructure and unsustainable forest management leads to biodiversity loss.
Cotton production uses an enormous amount of water and can lead to soil degradation, habitat loss and damage to species and the local community through the use of harmful pesticides.
A study from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) advises: “Around 78% of the post-consumer textiles waste covering clothing and footwear, home textiles and technical textiles is not separately collected and ends up in mixed household waste, destined to be incinerated or landfilled. This resource-inefficient waste management is not in line with the waste hierarchy and leads to environmental harm in the EU and in third countries through excessive levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water consumption, pollution and land use.” (4)
Water and marine life face grave threats too from plastic pollution. The UK government advises:
“Plastic pollution is one of the greatest global environmental challenges we currently face and it is predicted that unless action is taken there will be a threefold increase in the amount of plastic flowing into the ocean between 2016 and 2040.” (5) Overfishing and bycatching (the unwanted species caught while fishing for a different species) also is seen as having a big impact.
Why is biodiversity loss a concern?
Biodiversity loss impacts humans directly as we rely on wildlife to survive. Biodiversity is essential for the things that we need in our daily lives, including:
· Food
· Fuel
· Infrastructure (building materials)
· Purification of air and water
· Decomposition of waste
· Stabilisation of climate
· Pollination of plants
· Control of pests and diseases
· The ability to adapt to change
· Soil fertility.
Biodiversity is the glue between all organisms on Earth. This is called “the web of life” whereby all organisms rely on each other for survival. So, when one part of the web disappears, the whole web starts to break down. For example, we need fungi to maintain soil so that healthy plants can grow, insects then carry pollen from those plants to feed humans and animals, and we need forests to home all of these wonderful organisms.
The very air we breathe every second without thinking relies on plants producing oxygen. Similarly, the majority of food we buy relies on bees and other pollinators.
Trees, bees, worms, fungi and other pollinators all work to fertilise soil, purify the air and water and help bring food to our table. But many of these vital creatures and plants are declining, which has an impact on our land.
What actions can be taken to reduce biodiversity loss?
Governments and local authorities are attempting to find ways to manage finite resources while meeting the demands of an ever-growing population. Businesses as well can play a role in reducing consumption and working towards the development of circular economies.
With this in mind, the UK government set out its long-term aim in July 2023 to use fewer new resources, drive up repair and reuse of existing materials and increase recycling, launching the “Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste” programme. (6)
A range of measures backed by government funding could help to keep products and materials in circulation for as long as possible and at their highest value, through reuse, repair and remanufacture. The programme focus on three cross-cutting areas: designing out waste, systems and services, and data and information.
The government is also targeting seven key sectors: construction, textiles, furniture, electronics, food, road vehicles, and plastics/packaging.
It advises that the programme: “Will be informed by the rigorous analysis into resources and waste which we have been carrying out over previous years. For instance, textiles has been identified as a priority waste stream given the significant quantities of waste produced and its impact on net zero goals – which is why we are bringing forward actions such as consulting on collections of textile waste from businesses, and continuing to support voluntary actions taken by industry through Textiles 2030. (7)
The government remains committed to delivering on its commitments to eliminating avoidable waste by 2050 and recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035. Most recent statistics show 9.5 million tonnes of food and drink, after the farm gate, are wasted annually in the UK. This is worth around £19 billion. (8)
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Bibliography:
1 Gov.uk Blog (Accessed May 2024) Natural England https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/29/state-of-nature/ (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
2 US Department of Commerce (Accessed May 2024) Census Bureau Projects U.S and World Population on New Year’s Day https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2024/01/census-bureau-projects-us-and-world-populations-new-years-day
3 Gov.uk Press Release (Accessed May 2024) Environment Agency report sets out urgent need to work with nature https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-report-sets-out-urgent-need-to-work-with-nature (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
4 European Commission (Accessed May 2024) Directive Of The European Parliament And Of The Council https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52023PC0420 (© European Union. CC)
5 Gov.uk Press Release (Accessed May 2024) UK leads the way on ending plastic pollution https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-leads-the-way-on-ending-plastic-pollution (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
6 Gov.uk Press Release (Accessed May 2024) UK to establish world’s first UN-backed centre for circular economy research https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-establish-worlds-first-un-backed-centre-for-circular-economy-research (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
7 Gov.uk Press Release (Accessed May 2024) UK to establish world’s first UN-backed centre for circular economy research https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-establish-worlds-first-un-backed-centre-for-circular-economy-research (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
8 Gov.uk Press Release (Accessed May 2024) UK to establish world’s first UN-backed centre for circular economy research https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-establish-worlds-first-un-backed-centre-for-circular-economy-research (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)