The report's bleak outlook is compounded by hard evidence. Scientific data from 14,152 monitored populations of 3,706 vertebrates, which include mammals, birds, fishes, amphibians and reptiles, shows a staggering decline of 58 per cent in their population abundance between 1970 and 2012. This indicates the population sizes of different species of vertebrates has dropped by more than half in little more than 40 years. Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen also gives a serious word of caution by suggesting that we have transitioned into a new geological epoch, which he calls the “Anthropocence". Scientists believe this will be an exceptionally stressful and “far less hospitable" age for the modern globalized society to live in. The report also claims that our renewable and non-renewable resources, which it terms as ‘natural capital assets' are diminishing at a much faster rate than can be replenished. One of the findings show that an equivalent of 1.6 Earths were required to provide humanity with the natural resources and service they consumed in the year 2012. Another distressing fact mentioned in the report is that the abundance of vertebrates in our freshwater ecosystems is declining at a rate of 81 per cent!
The second half of the report focuses on what we can collectively do to save ourselves from the myriad environmental catastrophes that loom overhead. In the words of Marco Lambertini, the Director General of WWF International, we must all be “motivated by the unprecedented opportunity to build a future in harmony with the planet". So as to not squander this opportunity, a basic understanding of the planet and its finite capabilities must guide our development strategies, economic models, business models and lifestyle choices. The report lays maximum emphasis on our economic policies, and states how they should not only be reviewed in the case of an economic crisis but also be amended to fall in line with the pressing environmental concerns of today. The report also disapproves the way we deal with our environmental issues, by investing most of our time in trying to limit the damage being caused by events, and not adequately addressing the causes leading to those events. Preservation of natural capital, equitable resource governance, transformation of energy and food systems, resilient market systems and redirection financial flows to support conservation practices, are five things listed by the report, which must be implemented on a priority basis if we are to move towards a sustainable future. Despite the grim picture it paints, the report ends on a reasonably optimistic note, claiming that “if we manage to undergo the critical transitions necessary, the rewards will be immense".
Source - WWF Global.
