Loss of biodiversity 'devastating'

The loss of biodiversity among the world's animals, plants and birds could be "devastating to everyone's lives", it has been said.

Writing for the Guardian, Adam Rutherford noted that while the extinction of species is often the norm - he pointed out that some 97 per cent of all species to have ever existed on the planet are currently extinct - the human race should not ignore the impact of species dying out.

"Climate change is also the planetary norm, but the rate at which the climate is changing since industrialisation is unprecedented. This is reason enough to accept the scientific consensus that we are the root cause and the same goes for current extinctions," he said.

He went on to talk of the "ravaging" of the planet's resources and urged humans to realise the impact that losing the globe's diversity could have.

People have the power to make changes to their lives which can help the planet, he noted, and "moderating" how much they add to extinction levels is one of the ways in which they can do it.

Global warming is thought to be one of the main causes of melting ice caps and disappearing glaciers, which have an impact on animal life in certain parts of the world.

Written by Kimberley Homer.

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