From New Internationalist
May 2005

Planet Earth is home to an astonishing variety of life, from bacteria that live in the extreme heat of volcanic lava to ice-cap dwelling polar bears, from city-based humans to luminous fish in deep ocean trenches. All are interconnected in a fragile web of life called ‘biodiversity’.

Life on earth first evolved in the oceans over 2.5 billion years ago. Perhaps half a million years ago, one species of primate became more and more successful, and humanity spread throughout the world. By 10,000 years ago we were domesticating plants and animals; and by the 20th century our high-energy technologies and productive activities meant we were capable of the total transformation of ecosystems, something unprecedented in history.

The number of species threatened with extinction is a clear indicator of the state of the world’s ecosystems. Extinction means the death of birth. Five mass extinctions have happened in the past 500 million years. The sixth and greatest extinction in the history of our planet is happening today. It is almost entirely due to human activity, and is faster than any in history: we are losing species at a rate of up to 1,000 times the natural rate of extinction. Between a third and a half of terrestrial species are expected to die out over the next two centuries if current trends continue unchecked.

Humanity’s threats to biodiversity are manifold, from habitat loss to destruction of grasslands and forests, from overfishing, pollution and contamination to global climate change. The inter-relatedness of ecosystems means that a small loss in one area can affect many other species around it: for example, the decline of the honeybee leaves many fruit crops and flowers unpollinated. For in nature, diversity breeds diversity: trees in turn provide homes and food for birds, insects, other plants and animals and fungi.

This interrelatedness of all beings includes us. Human beings rely directly on the planet’s biodiversity for food, shelter and health; and indirectly for clean water, pure air and fertile soils. The lesson we need to learn urgently is this: we cannot do without the rest of the planet’s biodiversity, but it can do very well without us.

LIFE – THE FACTS

• The Millennium Ecosystems Assessment considered four different scenarios for global development over the next 50 years. In all four, the pressures on ecosystems continue to grow and biodiversity continues to be lost. Between 10% and 15% of plant species may be extinct by 2050.

• Some 23% of mammal species, 12% of bird species and 32% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction.

• Over the past few hundred years, humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1,000 times the background rates typical over the planet’s history.

• In some sea areas the total weight of fish available to be captured is less than a hundredth of that caught before the onset of industrial fishing.

• The distribution of species on Earth is becoming more homogenous. For example, a high proportion of the 100 or so non-native species in the Baltic Sea are native to the North American Great Lakes, while 75% of the 175 recently arrived species in the Great Lakes are native to the Baltic.




Government Spending = Nearly One-Third U.S. Economy

By Bill Ahern
From The Heartland Institute
1999

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, governments in the United States have become increasingly involved in the economy. One indicator of that growing involvement is the ever- higher fraction of the overall economy that is represented by government expenditures.

In 1900, total government expenditures equaled 8.2 percent of GDP. By 1997, that figure had nearly quadrupled, to 31.1 percent. Thanks to currently robust economic growth, it is estimated that by the year 2000 total government expenditures will represent "just" 30.0 percent of GDP.

The composition of government expenditures has also changed dramatically over time. At the turn of the century, most government spending paid for education and training, physical resources, and national defense. Today, most government activity involves transferring income from one group to another. Transfer programs--which represented just 2.0 percent of all government spending in 1900--are expected to account for 42.4 percent of government spending in 1999.

The budgetary authority of the various levels of government has also been transformed over the course of the century. In 1900, the bulk of government spending, 62.2 percent, took place at the state and local levels. Today, the federal government spends more than twice as much as state and local governments combined.




Extreme Weather Extremely Costly

By David Suzuki
From CNEWS
2006

Global warming may have been the last thing on the minds of Vancouverites as they dug out from a record November snowfall and cold snap. But it's another reminder of how much we all depend on the stability of our atmosphere.

While residents of other Canadian cities may scoff at Lotus land's relatively minor misfortunes, the city has certainly had its fair share of weather anomalies lately. First, record rains churned up rivers and caused landslides in the city's watersheds, leading to turbidity problems in the drinking water supply and a boil-water advisory across the region. Then, just as the water began to clear, a record cold and snowfall paralyzed the city.

What has this got to do with global warming? Well, extreme weather events like these are exactly the kind of thing climatologists say will become more common as our climate heats up. How confusing is that? Global warming can cause heavy snowfalls. But it's true.

This ability to link global warming to so many weather-related phenomena has created a bit of a joke: Blame everything on global warming. Stock market down? Global warming. Can't get a date? Global warming.

But underlying the joke is a serious fact. Our atmosphere is connected to everything - including us. By adding vast amounts of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (from our industries, cars and power plants) we're trapping more heat near the surface of the earth. More heat means more energy. Adding so much energy to our atmosphere creates the potential for more violent outbursts - like the weather Vancouver has been feeling lately.

This is why it's so imperative and urgent for humanity to get this problem under control. It's not as though global warming is just a minor inconvenience. Left unchecked, it's set to become a major hindrance to economic growth and international development. Vancouver newspapers were full of stories during both extreme weather events about how much these "natural" disasters were going to cost the city's economy.

In developing countries, severe weather events are doing more than harming the economy - they're killing people. Of course, extreme weather has always killed people. But in a recent article in the journal Science, Indian researchers report that extreme summer monsoon rains in India are becoming more common. Last summer, for example, more than 1,000 people died during one torrential rainstorm around Mumbai.

For the Science study, researchers analyzed data during the period 1951 to 2000 from more than 1,800 weather stations around central and eastern India. They found that while overall rainfall remained fairly consistent during the 50-year period, the number of extreme rainfall events doubled. Researchers cannot conclusively say that human-induced global warming is the cause, but the study's findings are in line with what computer models predict will continue to happen unless we seriously curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The new research helps shed light on why, when global warming models predict more rain in places like India, rainfall there doesn't seem to have increased overall. The answer is that, although annual average rainfall hasn't necessarily increased, extreme rainfalls have. That's unfortunate because more steady rainfall could actually benefit India's agriculture. Extreme weather benefits no one, especially in a developing country like India that lacks the infrastructure to deal with it.

Keep that in mind for Canada. Canadians by and large sure wouldn't mind more pleasant weather. But global warming won't benefit anyone if more extreme weather is the result. Just ask folks in Vancouver.

Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.