Up to one million species face extinction due to human influence, according to a draft UN report obtained by AFP that painstakingly catalogues how humanity has undermined the natural resources upon which its very survival depends. “Half-a-million to a million species are projected to be threatened with extinction, many within decades.”Many experts think a so-called “mass extinction event” — only the sixth in the last half-billion years — is already under way. Scientists estimate that Earth is today home to some eight million distinct species, a majority of them insects. But a landmark UN climate report in October said that would still be enough to boost the intensity and frequency of deadly heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms. The report cautioned against climate change solutions that may inadvertently harm Nature.

Source: Egypt Independent April 23, 2019 13:18 UTC