40% of Earth's plants, particularly trees, are threatened with extinction meaning most life on Earth is in immediate danger.
Economic growth based on destructive industrial agriculture, urbanization, dam-building, mining & logging can and must be replaced.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2…
The world’s seed-bearing plants have been disappearing at a rate up to 500 times higher than would be expected as a result of natural forces alone, according to the largest survey yet of plant extinctions.nature.com/articles/d4158…
'Researchers say the planet may be losing plant species more quickly than science can find, name and study them, which could have big consequences in the search for food crops that are resilient in the face of climate change and new medicines.'nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/…
58% of tree species are vulnerable to potential extinction threats, such as deforestation from extreme weather events or 'human activity' (capitalism).
A commitment to reach so called 'net zero' by 2050 and protect a mere 30% of land & ocean by 2030 is a commitment to continue emitting vast amounts of greenhouse gases while completing the destruction of ancient rainforests, coral reefs and Arctic sea ice. A commitment to horror.
'The combined prospects of an economic stimulus and infrastructure package—both of which will boost fossil fuel demand—spell a more prosperous 2021 and 2022 for the world’s biggest polluters.' newrepublic.com/article/161048…
Mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds are also likely to disappear on a catastrophic scale in the Amazon and other naturally rich ecosysterms in Africa, Asia, North America and Australia if temperatures rise by more than 1.5C'
Emergency action required. web.archive.org/web/2020110104…
This is directed to myself as I haven't yet given coffee up, but I've slashed my intake towards zero drastically over the last 6 months. This month I've started cutting my chocolate intake. I mention this just out of interest and to confirm how serious is the ecological crisis.👍
That sounds ridiculous reading it back. Or does it? Imperfect communication on the need for both individual and system change and how they go hand in hand... Hopefully you get the idea.
However, the Hothouse Earth theory is not dismissed by Betts, but he sees it as speculation:
'even if the self-perpetuating changes do begin within a few decades, the process would take a long time to fully kick in – centuries or millennia.' theconversation.com/hothouse-earth…
3/
Is it fair to say 2C, likely by between the late 2030s and mid-century, will lead to the release of vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere from tropical, temperate & Arctic soils, and Earth's oceans & forests, and thus to further warming?
We can expect +2C of global warming just from emissions that have already occurred.
Some of this committed warming will happen within decades, and though much of it will take centuries, without emergency system change now, we face the hell of a rapid shift to +2C by the 2030s.
'committed warming has a most-likely value of around 2.5C.. just from emissions that have already occurred
if we continue to emit greenhouse gases at the rate we currently are, we will blow through the 1.5 and 2C limits possibly within a few decades.' independent.co.uk/environment/gr…
How do journalists feel about the fact that 99% of their readers and viewers don't realise we can no longer avoid calamitous levels of global warming by 2025 - 2034 which will combine with habitat destruction and pollution to begin to seriously threaten organised human society?