Slashdot - Global wildlife populations have fallen by 58% since 1970, BBC reports citing The Living Planet assessment by the Zoological Society of London and WWF. The report adds that if the trend continues, the decline would reach two-thirds among vertebrates by 2020. The figures suggest that animals living in lakes, rivers and wetlands are suffering the biggest losses. Human activity, including habitat loss, wildlife trade, pollution and climate change contributed to the declines.
From the report: Dr Mike Barrett. head of science and policy at WWF, said: "It's pretty clear under 'business as usual' we will see continued declines in these wildlife populations. But I think now we've reached a point where there isn't really any excuse to let this carry on. This analysis looked at 3,700 different species of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles - about 6% of the total number of vertebrate species in the world."
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Mennonite communities double in size about every twelve years (6% annual growth rate is typical). To accommodate for this growth, the Mennonite communities in Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Belize, and Mexico have been responsible for the deforestation of huge tracts of virgin tropical and subtropical forest regions. They have nearly decimated the El Chaco region of Paraguay/Bolivia/Argentina. The amount of diverse habit consequently destroyed is beyond imagining. Worse, much of this forest is lost that the Mennonites might plant either more GMO corn, soy, or establish palm oil plantations for commodity consumption. These industrial crops have little to do with feeding a hungry planet but do generate fortunes on the commodities markets.
Being typically only educated through the eighth grade in private school primarily focused upon perpetuating a Mennonite status quo, many, perhaps most of the followers of this faith have little conception of the damage they are inflicting upon the planet through their willful ignorance. When questioned about it, the most common reply is that they are acting in service to god and because they have god-given dominion over the earth their actions are blessed---who are we to question god's will?
Such is the kind of mindset that brings us to this brink of environmental collapse.
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