MILLIONS of animals have died and the impact of this is directly on the ecology of Earth. | Photo Credit: Instagram

The ‘Living Planet’ report released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) gave some extremely disturbing facts. Human activities have led to the death of 60 per cent of the planet’s vertebrates and the scenario is even worse when it comes to marine life. Around 80 per cent of the oceans’ fauna has been wiped out due to humans and their destructive activities and Latin America has wiped off 90 per cent of its animals.

Many of us might scoff this report off as their cars have fuel, kitchens are well-stocked and there’s plenty of running water. This is exactly the kind of indifference that has resulted in massive extinction of many animal species and the day is not far when we would be living in a dystopian society which would primarily revolve around a scavenger lifestyle.

We have brushed environmental concerns under the carpet for too long and are knocking on hell’s doors now. We aren’t that far from the death note of 2C increase in global temperatures that would set in motion an irreversible climate change cycle triggering massive floods and droughts across the globe.

Also Read: ‘Humans have wiped 60% of animal population, planet on the brink’, says WWF ‘Living Planet’ report

MILLIONS of animals have died and the impact of this is directly on the ecology of Earth. Extinction of animals disturbs the ecosystems drastically as there are lesser carriers for pollination. This leads to a drop in the green cover of the geographical area and also gives predators a chance to kill animals that used the trees and bushes for hiding.

An abnormality in the plant-animal ratio is bad news for humans as natural habitats go in a destructive spiral where disease is rampant, food sources are few and there is cutthroat competition to obtain basic nutrients.

We can’t eat concrete or steel. With marine life endangered, we have compounded the misery by filling our oceans with plastics and other non-biodegradable materials. These poison marine life and corals alike. Consumption of infected fishes then leads to human deaths and disorders at the genetic level due to prolonged exposure to toxic elements.

The link between plants and animals is direct. Lesser animals mean lesser vegetation. Lesser plants lead to soil erosion and loss of freshwater and rainwater. Do the math. The sum is destruction of all the goodness Mother Earth provides us.

Humans have turned into a virus for the planet and our destructive activities and unchecked exploitation of resources might have already triggered another mass extinction, the sixth one in half a billion years and the first one which is directly because of us. The extinction of dinosaurs led to the evolution of humans and it seems that we have tailor-made conditions for our own doom. Sadly, we might poison the planet to a degree that no life remains after we are gone.

It time to wake up and actively do everything we can to mitigate the damage else our children might not be able to survive their lifetimes, let alone the generations coming after them.