miércoles, 8 de mayo de 2019

One million species face extinction: Why biodiversity report matters | Explained News, The Indian Express

One million species face extinction: Why biodiversity report matters | Explained News, The Indian Express

Kuta beach, Bali. Plastic pollution has multiplied 10 times since 1980. (Shutterstock.com)

The India connection

The report does not have country-specific information. But as a major biodiversity hotspot, vast areas, especially the coastline, of which are under tremendous stress due to large population, India can identify with most of the trends pointed out in the report.


For example, it says 23% of global land area had shown a reduction in productivity due to degradation, and that between 100 to 300 million people were at an increased risk of floods and hurricanes because of loss of coastal habitats and protection. It says plastic pollution had increased 10 times from 1980, the number of large dams (those with a height of 15 m or more) had reached almost 50,000, and that human population had more than doubled since 1970s, and the number of urban areas had doubled since 1992. All these trends have been clearly visible in the case of India, and bring with them the associated risks to natural ecosystems highlighted in the report.

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