There is too much emphasis on climate change
Opinion : Yes there is a climate emergency. Yes, human activities have caused global warming. Yes, actions are urgently needed. Last year, Sir David Attenborough completed A Life on Our Planet both as a book and an accompanying film . You may have seen the film but the book is much better. Its title is A Life on Our Planet My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future. I recommend it to all politicians and CEOs. David Attenborough provides irrefutable evidence for the true tragedy of our time: the spiralling decline of our planets biodiversity. Humans have exploited nature and the environment to the extent that there are now four boundaries committing the Earth to failure. Humans are polluting the Earth with fertilisers. We are converting natural habitats at too great a rate. We are warming the Earth far too quickly. Most importantly, humans are the cause of the Great Decline, the spiralling loss of biodiversity. READ MORE: * Nature being destroyed 'at a rate unprecedented in history', new report warns * Iconic environmentalist and filmmaker Sir David Attenborough turns 93 * A million species are threatened with extinction, and the rates are accelerating The Great Decline has been taking place for centuries but the rate of loss and extent of damage has gradually increased. Some changes may occur slowly over several years before being detected. But over a lifetime, as David Attenborough explains, the changes in nature become very clear. Its not just species that are declining and becoming extinct. Humans have stirred and mixed species from all over the Earth. The monetary cost alone of trying to manage introduced pests costs millions of dollars every year. Interfering with the biogeography of life has caused the extinction of many species and destroyed the intricate relationships within natural communities. Life supporting ecological systems (both terrestrial and aquatic) are being destroyed faster than ever before. Whats so troubling is that this unsustainable and inequitable exploitation of nature and natures services is not new. For decades there have been reports, conferences, conventions, charters, and legislation addressing these issues. But still over decades the destruction and loss of biodiversity continues with implications for human welfare. What needs to be done? Its obvious that the number and extent of projects restoring biodiversity must be increased as a matter of urgency. At the same time we need to have a discussion about the relationships between humans and nature. Many people fail to accept or understand that we humans are part of nature and not superior to nature. If more people accepted that we are just part of nature then perhaps biodiversity would be given the respect that it deserves. Think of trees as companions, soil as a living organism, rivers as life supporting systems and oceans as ecological mysteries. Very topical to sustainability and the environment is the recent report by Simon Upton (Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment). In addition to four recommendations, the report (Not 100% but four steps closer to sustainable tourism) discusses how limits to the number of international tourists can be better implemented. Limits to numbers should apply not only to international tourists but also to all New Zealand citizens. In my opinion it is a privilege for anyone to have access to nature reserves, national parks, the coasts, rivers and the oceans but that must not be seen as a right. It is a privilege! There is too much emphasis on climate change at the expense of not acknowledging and not grappling with the destruction of biological diversity in all its diverse forms. New Zealand must acknowledge that the biodiversity crisis is just as important as the climate emergency. To that end, there is an urgent need for a Biodiversity Crisis Commission Report.