Human activity is trouble for climate, water, biodiversity, and other mammals.

The apparent complacency of many North Americans about what is happening to our common home, the earth should be shaken by scientific studies that indicate that human activity is driving mammal extinction.

Best friend of humans

This potential “great extinction” is connected to the big three concerns of the UN (2013) and Pope Francis (2015) of Climate Change, Water Shortages, and Biodiversity Loss. Kay Vandette, Earth.com staff writer, discusses how human activity is driving a mammal extinction crisis.

Researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Gothenburg conducted a study examining the rates of extermination currently underway.
By their calculations, unless conservation becomes a top priority, during the next five decades so many species will become extinct that it will take three to five million years for evolution to reach current biodiversity levels.
The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that evolution will not be able to keep up

The conclusion that Climate Change, Water Shortages, and Biodiversity Loss, will have growing Impacts on global business is contained in a UN Report that quotes UN Under Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

"The report speaks to the reality of climate change and natural resource scarcities and outlines how more creative decisions by the private sector with longer term horizons may assist in meeting these challenges. It makes the case that whether it be in water saving, or climate-proofing infrastructure, the world is going to look for solutions that in turn will drive corporate competitiveness, reputational risk and a transition to an inclusive green economy,' added Mr. Steiner.
The new report is based on UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO-5); the UN's most comprehensive assessment of the state of the global environment. According to that report, human pressures on the global environment mean that several critical environmental thresholds are approaching, or have already been surpassed, beyond which abrupt changes to the life-support functions of the planet could occur.

The encyclical letter LAUDATO SI’ of Pope Francis on care for our common home notes our complacency at the conclusion of Chapter One “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOME” that focuses on three areas; (1) Pollution and Climate Change, (2) Water Shortages, and (3) Biodiversity Loss.

At the same time we can note the rise of a false or superficial ecology which bolsters complacency and a cheerful recklessness. As often occurs in periods of deep crisis which require bold decisions, we are tempted to think that what is happening is not entirely clear. Superficially, apart from a few obvious signs of pollution and deterioration, things do not look that serious, and the planet could continue as it is for some time. Such evasiveness serves as a licence to carrying on with our present lifestyles and models of production and consumption. This is the way human beings contrive to feed their self-destructive vices: trying not to see them, trying not to acknowledge them, delaying the important decisions and pretending that nothing will happen.

References

(2018, October 16). Human activity driving mammal extinction crisis • Earth.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018, from https://www.earth.com/news/human-activity-mammal-extinction/
(2013, June 21). Climate Change, Water Shortages, Biodiversity Loss, will have .... Retrieved October 20, 2018, from http://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/climate-change-water-shortages-biodiversity-loss-will-have-growing
(2015, May 24). Laudato si' (24 May 2015) - Vaticano. Retrieved October 20, 2018, from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html