It’s not just the climate that needs fixing

Figures & data

Figure 1. The earth system, showing the inputs and outputs from the economy within the earth’s stock of natural capital.

Table 1. Ideas and Reflections on the Value of Nature and its Biodiversity.

‘In the relations of man with the animals, with the flowers, with all the objects of creation, there is a whole great ethic, scarcely perceived as yet, which will at length break through into the light, and which will be the corollary and the complement to human ethics’. (Hugo 1895)

‘Why should man value himself as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation’ (Muir 1916)

‘In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo Sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to a plain member and citizen of it’ (Leopold, 1947)

‘The ‘control of nature’ is a phrase conceived in arrogance born of the Neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man’. (Carson 1963)

‘Every form of life is unique, warranting respect regardless of its worth to man, and, to accord other organisms such recognition, man must be guided by a moral code of action’. (United Nations World Charter on Nature 1982)

‘Every living being has a value in itself’. (Naess 1984)

‘Biotic diversity has intrinsic value … .Species have value in themselves, a value neither conferred nor revocable, but springing from a species’ long evolutionary heritage and potential’ (Soulé 1985)

‘Even though Homo sapiens is destined for extinction, just like other species in history, we have an ethical imperative to protect nature’s diversity, not destroy it’. (Leakey and Lewin 1996)

‘The flourishing of human and nonhuman life on earth has inherent value. The value of nonhuman life-forms is independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes. Richness and diversity of life-forms are also values in themselves and contribute to the flourishing of human and nonhuman life on earth. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs’. (Naess 2008)

‘2050 Vision: European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services that it provides – its natural capital – are protected, valued, and appropriately restored for biodiversity’s intrinsic value … ’

(European Commission 2011)

Table 2. Extracts from the Report of the United Nations Secretary General.

‘The pandemic-related economic downturn has pushed between 119 and 124 million more people into extreme poverty in 2020 … the global rate of extreme poverty in 2020 rising for the first time in over 20 years’. (SDG1)

‘Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people experiencing hunger globally and suffering from food insecurity had been gradually rising since 2014. Between 83 and 132 million more people may already have been pushed into chronic hunger in 2020’. (SDG2)

‘The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schooling is a ‘generational catastrophe’ … According to data for the period from 2017–2019 more than one-fifth of primary schools worldwide do not have access to basic drinking water, and more than one third lack basic hand washing facilities’. (SDG4)

‘At least 200 million women and girls have been subjected to female genital mutilation. Despite some progress there are still countries and territories in which at least 9 in 10 girls and women ranging from 15 to 49 years of age have been subjected to such mutilation, making the harmful practice almost universal’. (SDG5)

‘Billions of people worldwide still live without safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services … the world is not on track to achieve Goal 6’. (SDG6)

‘Despite significant progress over the past decade, the world is still falling short in providing affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’. (SDG7)

‘In 2019 more than one in five of the world’s young people were not in employment, education or training, a proportion almost unchanged since 2005’. (SDG8)

‘The pandemic is exacerbating existing inequalities within and among countries and territories and hitting the most vulnerable people and the poorest countries and territories the hardest, and is likely to delay the progress of the poorest countries and territories on the Goals by a full 10 years’. (SDG10)

‘By mid-2020, the number of people who had fled their countries and territories and become refugees owing to war, conflict, persecution, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order had grown to 24 million, the highest number of record’. (SDG10)

‘The number of slum dwellers has continued to grow over the years, exceeding 1 billion in 2018’. (SDG11)

‘Data indicate a rise of almost 40 per cent in the global material footprint per capita, from 8.8 metric tons in 2000 to 12.2 metric tons in 2017’. (SDG12)

‘Climate change is making the achievement of many Goals less likely’. (SDG13)

‘Deforestation and forest degradation, continued biodiversity loss and the ongoing degradation of ecosystems are having profound consequences for human well-being and survival. The world fell short on 2020 targets to halt biodiversity loss’. (SDG15)

‘Globally the risk of species extinction has increased by about 10% over the past three decades’. (SDG15)

‘The world is still a long way from achieving the goal of building peaceful, just and inclusive societies … At the end of 2019, 79.5 million people had been forcibly displaced worldwide, equivalent to 1 per cent of the global population’. (SDG16)

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