When Doves Cry

Because Prince, or whatever he calls himself these days is one of the most bizarrely cool people I've never met, and unfortunately, his aptly named song reflects the situation of the world's biodiversity because of climate change and global warming.

Scientists predict that anywhere from 20-30% of species could go extinct over the next century if temperatures continue to rise. There are high profile poster boys for these die-offs, but it's more likely that humanity will be hurt by the extinction of species that we don't really think about.

I happen to be someone who values biodiversity just because I find it cool and beautiful, but I get that not everyone is like that. But even if hiking or camping or snorkeling isn't your thing, and even if you know that the extinction of the polar bear isn't the end of the world (you're right by the way), abundant and flourishing biodiversity is extremely important for the survival of people.

All of what we eat as well as many of the medicines we take come from animal and plant life. A loss in biodiversity could have terrible consequences for humanity. As the linked article mentioned, the loss of seemingly insignificant bird species could mean massive problems with pollination of plant species vital to human life.

Now I'm not crazy, I know that most of the species that have ever existed are now extinct and I know that extinction is a natural thing. However, evolution of new species is much more difficult today than it once was, and so a high and unnatural number of die-offs would be a blow to humanity, not to mention a tragic loss in its own right.

So what can we do to prevent this potential tragic disaster? Well you already know the answer to that question, we can invest in and transition to alternative forms of energy. If my repeated mention of this issue means anything it's simply that there are too many opportunities to discuss it because it is such a big deal. For a nation dealing with a depressed economy and near record snowfalls caused by global warming, not to mention the worst "natural" disaster in our nation's history - which of course was only natural because it was horrible for nature, it was in every sense a manmade disaster - it would only make sense for us to throw our weight behind the drive to greenify our economy and our country, taking the lead in the issue like the global leader we are. Alas, it may take a few more extinct species and a few more inches of snow before we realize that we are creating a monster.