On the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Biodiversity, the UN warned that 150 animal species are lost every day, which is considered the largest wave of extinctions since the dinosaurs disappeared. This was warned by the executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Ahmed Djoghlaf, on the occasion of the commemoration of this day, which this year focuses on the theme "Biodiversity and climate change".
The severity of the problem
Djoghlaf stated that there is no doubt that the climate change and the loss of biodiversity are "two sides of the same coin" and that is a consequence of human activity. In this way, he referred to the report prepared by experts from the Intergovernmental Group on Climate Change (IPCC), which reveals that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere is at a level never seen in 650,000 years.
"We are experiencing the biggest wave of extinctions after the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Every hour, three species disappear. Every day, more than 150 species are lost. Every year between 18,000 and 55,000 species become extinct, "said Djoghlaf.
He emphasized that climate change is one of the greatest forces boosters From the current unprecedented level of biodiversity loss, species and ecosystems will struggle to adapt to changes in temperature and increased rainfall by the end of this century. On the occasion of the celebration, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, also addressed the international community in a message, highlighting the relationship between biodiversity and sustainable development. "If biodiversity is not conserved and used sustainably, we will not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals," he said.
It is not for nothing, he said, that world leaders agreed at the Sustainable development Johannesburg in 2002 drastically reduce the loss of biodiversity in 2010. To make governments aware of the need to meet these set goals, Ban recalled that the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. "The global response to the challenges of the loss of diversity and the fight against climate change needs to be faster and more resolute at the international, national and local level, "he concluded.
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