Fish are going extinct. Birds are going extinct.
Fish are going extinct. Birds are going extinct.
Here's how consumerism is making fish and birds to go extinct
Java singaree, Credit, Mongabay
Recently, the Java stingaree became the first marine fish species to go extinct, bringing an end to the existence of a fish belonging to the urolophidae family, a creature thirty-three centimeters in length, discovered over one hundred and fifty years ago.
In August last year, the vaquita porpoise became the subject of an extinction alert by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), as only ten creatures of one of the tiniest and most endangered marine mammal remain, down from around 30 in 2017, despite 30 years of repeated warnings about the fate of the animal.
In October last, twenty one species got delisted from the U.S. Endangered Species Act, on account of extinction by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the affected creatures include eight species of freshwater mussels, birds such as the bachman's warbler, fruit bats, and animals from Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
The Java Stingaree, vaquita porpoise and the bachman warbler are not the only animals near extinction or at extinction levels, because officials declared 84 species from Sub-Saharan Africa extinct, 1,677 European species threatened with disappearance, between 150 and 468 animals gone extinct in the last few centuries in Latin America, and numerous species in Asia suffering the same fate.
Between 1901 and 2014, the global consumption pattern led to a 5.9 fold increase in freshwater usage, a development fuelled by the global population size nearly doubling from 1970 to 2018 and global per capita spending rising from $600 in 1970 to $7,810 in 2018.
Overfishing led to fishermen catching between 970 to 2,700 billion tonnes of fishes from 2007 to 2016, in response to global fish consumption rising at an annual rate of 3.1 percent from 1961 to 2017.
The current rate of deforestation led to the loss of approximately one percent of original forest habitats each year, with experts putting the present rate of deforestation at about 100,000 square kilometers per year, many old growth forests losing more than 98 percent of their previous area because of human activities.
In essence, consumerism, deforestation, and overfishing led to a situation where the Java Stingaree, vaquita porpoise, and other animals in the United States, Africa, Asia, and Latin America stand at the brink of disappearing.
Overfishing accelerated the disappearance of the Java Stingaree, but through the process, bottom trawlers not only trap species like the Stingaree, they also damage seagrass, which absorbs carbon 35 times faster than the tropical forests, meaning bottom trawlers enable as much carbon dioxide as the entire aviation industry.
Consumerism accelerates the extinction of mammals and fish, with a report blaming the supply chains of a slew of products to 6,800 species listed as threatened by the IUCN in the process, but the situation allows consumerism to account for more than 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Deforestation also accelerates the extinction of species, as well as contributes to12 to 20 percent of global emissions, with the removal of around 7.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide yearly becoming the net effect.
So while the Java Stingaree, the vaquitas porpoise, and many animals around the world experience threats to their survival, the processes leading to this situation accelerate global emissions, one of the factors behind climate change.
Humans waste a staggering 931 million tonnes of food each year, but through sustainable consumption and product patterns, this could be controlled, leading to decline in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increasing the ability for survival of humans in a planet running out of resources, especially with global population set to hit 9.8 billion by 2050.
Deforestation robs the planet of large hectares of land, approximately 420 million hectares since 1990, but this can be halted, and it will not only lead to a decline in carbon dioxide emissions, but also the decrease in the effects of climate change.
The same thing happens with overfishing, which deprives the seas of 80 percent of the world fisheries, but if a strong fish management prevents overfishing, the world will not only get spared of threats to the existence of marine creatures, but will also get relieved of the rising pace of greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable consumption, responsible fishing, and forest regeneration need to be implemented as means to tackle climate change, as well as to prevent threats to the survival of the vaquitas porpoise and other creatures around the world at the verge of extinction.
Opportunities for Climate startups, creators, activists, and others
UVAMcIntire @UVAMcIntire Calling UVA innovators! Got a startup idea? Need funding? Submit your pitch by March 8 to the Galant Challenge, McIntire's annual "Shark Tank"-style pitch fest. Last year, $15M went into finalists' startups. Selected? Pitch in person April 25. Learn more: https://shorturl.at/uJV
PitchTalk AI @pitchtalk_com Exciting opportunity for new projects! If you're looking to pitch and join the Incrypted Pitch Session, they're eager to hear from you! Submit your project through this form https://forms.gle/ZeDjqujziGyKF7Pt7…, as we're open to outstanding projects for our upcoming event Have any questions or need to get in touch? Contact them or reach out directly at @incrypted Don't miss this chance to showcase your project
-pitches-from-startups-across-nigeria-west-african-countries/
Women in Analytics (WIA) @wia_community @dataconnectconf & @wia_community are excited to announce their second Start-Up Showcase event, hosted in partnership with their friends at @womenindataorg Submit your start up for the opportunity to pitch at #DCC! Applications close on April 1st ttps://bit.ly/49nHGZh
N-CODE @ncode_network Take part in the inaugural N-CODE Pitch Competition for a chance to win up to £10K to pursue your research idea. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity. Submit your EOI no later than April 5th to ncode@contacts.bham.ac.uk
DataConnect Conference @DataConnectConf @dataconnectconf & @wia_community are excited to announce their second Start-Up Showcase event, hosted in partnership with their friends at @womenindataorg Submit your start up for the opportunity to pitch at #DCC! Applications close on April 1st https://bit.ly/49nHGZh
Peter Schroeder @peterschroederr is looking for people who are building blockchain-based solutions to tackle humanitarian challenges through @Circle’s 'Unlocking Impact' pitch competition. Submit your application before March 18 for your chance to win up to $100k in $USDC. https://bit.ly/49CVjng
JA Nova Scotia @janovascotia Students in grades 6 to 12, submit your business ideas. Win 1 of 3 awards for excellence in entrepreneurship. Up to 8 students will pitch their ideas at the Minister's Entrepreneurship Award of Excellence. 3 submissions receive $1,000 to launch their idea. https://novascotia.ca/entrepreneuraw
UMKC Regnier Institute @UMKC_RIEI Apply today for the Midwest Social Entrepreneurship Awards. Submit your pitch deck and pitch video before March 10th (2 day extension!) Link to register: https://umkc.startuptree.co @UMKCBloch
False Bay College @FalsebayCollege Exciting news! Enter the 2024 Entrepreneurship Inter-College Competition now! Pitch your idea, gain experience, and grab a share of R120,000 in funding. Act fast: Submit by April 12, 2024. https://bit.ly/3TkPtR
Atuhaire Caroline @Atuhairecarol10 Seize the opportunity! Looking for potential investors and funding? Pitch your bankable projects at the Deals Room during #UEUBF2024. Whether it's expansion or a new venture, make connections that matter. Submit your company’s profile here: http://ugandaeuropebusinessforum.com/profiles/
Gentechnews @gentechnews Firm Calls For Pitches From Startups Across Nigeria,West African Countries. https://gentechnews.com.ng/firm-calls-for-pitches-from-startups-across-nigeria-west-african-countries/
Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials @MCAMconnect To facilitate seamless communication and alignment among partners across the value chain, MCG has launched the online Open Innovation hub, Growth Garage. Get in touch with our experts and submit your idea, project or pitch your venture. Visit: https://bit.ly/4c7OvQg
Forum Ventures @forumventures. They're on a mission! Forum Ventures & Canva Developer Fund are investing $100K into the next Women+ led B2B SaaS Startup. Seeking innovative founders ready to make a mark. Submit your pitch here: https://theorcanetwork.com/opportunity/639 @fcubedvc @Hearstv@LattitudeVC @FundArtemis
.
What to Eat
Vegan food from Vietnam, Credit, FullofPlants.com
I wish more people acknowledged the negative impact humans are having on this planet so we could reach solutions with more urgency. Instead many would rather remain woefully self-centered and willfully ignorant. Reporting like yours needs to get out there.
The good news is that a lot of the pressure on the planet (especially on animals going extinct) has arisen from an explosion in human population. That growth is nearing its conclusion, and for the first time in thousands of years, human beings won't be growing in number .... at all. Now is the time for us to figure out how to be sustainable.