Europeans are becoming increasingly concerned over the loss of biodiversity, according to the results of a new study. The Eurobarometer survey looked at views on animal and plant extinctions and the decline of natural habitats and ecosystems. The issues of air pollution, water pollution and man-made disasters such as oil spills were rated as the most important by respondents (27%), followed by climate change (19%).
While just 20% of Europeans in the survey felt that their lives were currently affected by the loss of biodiversity, 70% believed that it would have personal impacts in the future.
“Biodiversity loss is irreversible. Since the 1970s, the European Union has been committed to protecting nature, and we are working hard to realise our target of halting biodiversity loss on our continent by 2010,” commented Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. “Achieving this target requires everyone across the Union to work together to ensure that our ecosystems are sustainable and healthy. Complacency is not an option.”
And how right the man is. Biodiversity loss is indeed irreversible. However that does not mean that we should not go an try to arrest this loss. It must not be.
While it many be true that over the lifespan of our planed there has always been a loss of species here and there, often due to change in clima, natural change in climate, which, we must be prepared for, this current climate change could be too.
If the latter is the case we better learn to live with it and prepare to do so. This does not, however, means that we should sit back and take the attitude that it will not make a difference whether we recycle or whatever. I am not saying this.
As I have said in a previous article, we must do both. Prepare for the eventuality that Climate Change has nothing whatsoever to do with emissions from cars, industry and homes, but still continue to reduce, reuse and recycle, and to minimize our impact on the environment, to continue planting trees, and such. Hope for the best, that is to say work to, if possible arrest and reverse the climate change, and prepare for the worst, that is to say, pepare for the eventuality that Climate Change, a.k.a. Global Warming, is not a result of human activity but a natural phenomenon, one that, as the records seem to show, arrives around every thousand years or so in the cycle of our Blue Planet.
© Michael Smith (Veshengro), January 2008
Europeans voice biodiversity concerns
