Vatican Biology Conference; Half Of All Species On Earth Face Extinction By 2100

[hatrack]

One in five species on Earth now faces extinction, and that will rise to 50% by the end of the century unless urgent action is taken. That is the stark view of the world’s leading biologists, ecologists and economists who will gather on Monday to determine the social and economic changes needed to save the planet’s biosphere.

“The living fabric of the world is slipping through our fingers without our showing much sign of caring,” say the organisers of the Biological Extinction conference held at the Vatican this week.

Threatened creatures such as the tiger or rhino may make occasional headlines, but little attention is paid to the eradication of most other life forms, they argue. But as the conference will hear, these animals and plants provide us with our food and medicine. They purify our water and air while also absorbing carbon emissions from our cars and factories, regenerating soil, and providing us with aesthetic inspiration.

EDIT

This point was backed by another conference organiser, biologist Professor Peter Raven, of the Missouri Botanical Garden. “By the beginning of the next century we face the prospect of losing half our wildlife. Yet we rely on the living world to sustain ourselves. It is very frightening. The extinctions we face pose an even greater threat to civilisation than climate change – for the simple reason they are irreversible.” UN statistics suggest that the global population will increase from the current 7.4 billion to 11.2 billion by 2100. And as Dasgupta noted, most of these extra billions will appear in Africa, where the fertility rate is still twice that of the rest of the world.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/25/half-all-species-extinct-end-century-vatican-conference

[HoneyBadger]

1. Can we get a list?

[LanternWaste]

3. A percentage, rather than a list

A percentage, rather than a list: "One in five species on Earth now faces extinction, and that will rise to 50% by the end of the century unless urgent action is taken...."

However, I'm sure a sincere curiosity would be pro-active in identifying those species most threatened.

[HoneyBadger]

4. Antibiotics?

Which are now abused like heroin. They are decimating populations of bacteria.

[ladjf]

2. What a disaster! nt

[NickB79]

5. If the Vatican is so concerned, start supporting family planning and contraceptives

Because as the OP noted, we're looking at 11 billion humans by 2100, and our burgeoning population is the underlying reason for our ecological woes.