Far too long we’ve been taking more from Mother Nature than she can conceivably stand. Pushed by a rapidly expanding population and ‘growth-at-all-costs’ economic development, many of the ecosystems that sustain life on our unique planet are nearing critical tipping points of depletion or irreversible change.
Which is why today we stand up and lend our voice to World Environment Day 2020 and it’s call for urgent action to protect biodiversity.
These are exceptional times in which nature is sending us a message: To care for ourselves we must care for nature.
Biodiversity describes the variety of life on Earth, encompassing the genetic diversity of over 8 million species of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria as well as their ecosystems. Biodiversity is an intricate web in which each part is interdependent and when one component is changed or worse, removed, the entire system is affected.
From unparalleled bushfires here at home, to locust infestations across East Africa and now COVID19 – it would seem that Nature is sending us a message to once again start living within our ecological means.
Over the last 50 years humans have pushed nature beyond its limit, doubling the human population and quadrupling the economy. We’re consuming the resources of approximately 1.6 Earths right now, and that’s expected to increase to over 3 Earths by 2050 with an additional 2 billion-odd people. You don’t have to be Einstein to know that math just doesn’t check out.
Compounding this is our ongoing experience with COVID-19, which brings into sharp relief the delicate ecological balance at the heart of our continued existence on this planet. Because when we wantonly destroy biodiversity, we destroy the systems that support human life and in turn create the conditions for viruses to decimate the weakest, most vulnerable members of our tribe.
World Environment Day recognises that global change requires a global community. As individuals we must deeply think about the way we consume. As business leaders we must take great strides in our journey to develop more eco friendly models, from farm to factory and everywhere in between.
We are intimately interconnected with nature and if we don’t take care of her, we certainly can’t take care of ourselves. So today we urge you to share and amplify this message to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter future for ourselves and our kids.