In May 2019, the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem published a summary of an upcoming report on the state of biodiversity on Earth. The report sums up about 15,000 scientific papers on the threats against life. The findings state that species of all kinds – mammals, birds, amphibians, insects, plants, marine life, and terrestrial life are disappearing at an accelerated rate. One million species are now at risk of extinction if no action is taken and it’s a biodiversity crisis that threatens every ecosystem. In short, life on Earth is in danger.

The report detailed five main factors: changes in land and sea use; hunting and poaching; climate changes; pollution; and invasive foreign species. A monumental task lies ahead as goals for preserving and sustainably using nature while achieving sustainability cannot be met by current trajectories. Losing these species is like losing a vast library. Scientists would lose access to learning about their biology, which might lead to potential medicines that could help cure diseases.

This biodiversity crisis can also lead to a food crisis, as fewer species and breeds of plants and animals are being farmed and raised around the planet. If a disease were to wipe them out, humans could not necessarily turn to nature to find new sources of food. Planet Earth is the only place in the universe with the greatest diversity of life in this galaxy. All will be lost if nothing is done to save planet Earth and ultimately, humans are to be blamed for this.