#158 One Nature One Future: The Five Biggest Threats to Our Natural World

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 158

One Nature, One Future

The Five Biggest Threats to Our Natural World

Most likely you do not know that it was the discovery and manipulation of fire that was the first step in humanity’s separation from nature. Among many other things fire enabled humans to use biomass as a source of fuel. Eventually our comfort level increased to the point that nature was viewed as a resource instead of a place to live. 

We are now more separated from nature than ever before. The vast majority of us never stop to think about, much less appreciate how every single thing we do is connected to the natural world either directly or indirectly. And yet everyday we go about our business destroying the very thing we depend on. But there is something we can do about it. So join me for One Nature, One Future: the Five Biggest Threats to Our Natural World

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E158 which is called One Nature, One Future: The Five Biggest Threats to Our Natural World. 

But before we get started, let’s first talk about the good news story of the week. 

The Indonesian government says that a half million acres of palm plantations will be turned back into forests.  

What most people do not know is that the oil palm tree can only be grown in the tropic. It produces a high quality oil that is primarily used for cooking in developed countries. However, it is also used in a wide variety of food products, detergents, cosmetics, lipstick and ice cream. In fact, palm oil is found in more than 50% of package products used by American consumers. 

Oil palm plantations are spreading across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The problem is that this expansion result in the destruction of tropical forest which serves as vital habitat for many endangered species. 

But the Indonesian government decided to do something about that problem. The government estimates that a half million acres, or about 200,000 hectares of plantations are there illegally. Their first step is to place a deadline on the submission of legal paperwork proving that the each plantation has been issued proper cultivation rights. 

Those operating plantations in protected forests or conservation forests will be fined, legally charged, and forced to shut down their operations. The government will then start the reforestation process. 

Because Indonesia is so vast and parts of it are so isolated, it is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. 

So there you have it folks. One more place is being returned to its natural state and there are truly folks out there working to protect our planet.  

Now let’s move on to this weeks episode: One Nature, One Future; The Five Biggest Threat to Our Natural World

Now I am going to say upfront that what I am going to present in this episode is not going to be a big surprise. But in some respects I feel it is important to emphasize these five things. Talk of climate change, deforestation, and water scarcity is becoming increasingly urgent. And personally I think in the not too distant future the plight of humanity is going to reach a tipping point. 

As I continue to live on the homestead and continue to make improvements in how we live and what we do to have a sustainable life, I often wonder if anyone that I know has paid attention to what I have been saying for years. And that is you had better learn to take advantage of renewable energy. You had better learn to produce at least some of your own food. You have better learn to live sustainably on as few resources as possible while it is still a choice.  

Often when I hear the statistic that globally 55% of people live in urban areas and in the United States it is as much as 83%, I am both glad and sad at the same time. I know this is going to sound selfish, but I am glad there are so many people living in urban areas because that means there is so much more of nature for me to enjoy completely on my own. On the other hand I am sad because it is our disconnection from nature that promotes and reinforces the attitude that nature is simply a resource and not just a place to live much less something that we depend on for our survival.  

And if you happen to be one of the people that simply views nature as a resource, allow me to quote some statistics. As you will see, nature is in fact a fabulous resource. 

In 2022 the value of the global commercial fishing market reached $257 billion USD. It is expected to reach $350 billion by 2027. Fish provides vital nutrients to over 3 billion people around the globe. Approximately 80% of Americans reported eating fish in the last 30 days. Approximately 10 to 12% of the world’s population relies on fishing as a source of income. Sixty four percent of Europeans eat fish regularly. About 170 million tons of fish are consumed in Asia annually. And about 18% of Australians reported eating fish regularly. 

The global timber and wood product market was valued at $626 billion USD in 2022. The forest industry employ 95K people in the US, 46K in Canada, and globally there are 33 million people employed in the forestry industry or about 1% of global employment. This industry provides paper and packaging, lumber to build homes, composite material for construction, high value wood furniture and flooring, structural material for bridges and for the transportation industry. 

The global mining market reached a value of just over $2 trillion USD in 2022. Mined minerals appear in almost every consumer product from cars to electronics. The mining industry also supplies coal, metals, oil shale, rock salt, gemstones, limestone, clay, chalk, stone and gravel as well as many other things. In other words, mining has a positive impact on almost every part of our lives. 

The global recreation market in 2023 was valued at $1,900 billion USD. It accounted for 1.3% of GDP globally. The recreation industry employs 4.5 million people in the US alone. 

Presently there are over 120 important pharmaceutical drugs that are derived from plants. In the US market alone 25% of our drugs come from plant sources. And did you know that about 25% of our medications derived from Amazonian plants. The Brazilian Amazon is estimated to have 80,000 species of plants. And despite our success stories, less than 1% of plants in the world’s tropical rainforest have been tested for their medicinal properties. 

And these are just a few examples of all the things that come from the natural world that affect our daily lives. Think about the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the automobile you drive, the computer, cell phone, and tablet that you use. All of these things came from the natural world or contain material derived from the environment in some way.  

I know you have heard me say this before but I think it is productive to repeat this because this was a valuable lesson that I learned. In the early months of producing this podcast  and researching various topics there was one question that came up over and over again. 

Is there anything that I do that doesn’t have some sort of impact on the world? And it turns out that the answer to that is “NO!” As soon as you realize that every single thing we do every day has some sort of an impact on the environment and it is the environment, meaning the natural world, that we depend on for our survival, then you will start to accept just how important it is to protect. And yet we don’t. In fact, according to the United Nation’s  Convention on Biodiversity there are 5 major threats to our natural world. 

Threat Number One

Changes in land usage and the marine environment. 

Presently 75% of the Earth’s surface land and 66% of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human activity. More than 35% of our land and almost 75% of our fresh water resources are now devoted to the production of food. At least in the US the size of our urban areas have more than doubled since 1992. This just means that more natural land has been permanently altered. 

When we think of land use change and habitat destruction most often the first thing that comes to mind is tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon. 

And sadly, over 200,000 acres of rainforest are burned every single day. Approximately 34% of the world’s rainforests have been completely destroyed and another 30% have been seriously degraded. We manage to cut down 15 billion trees every year.  

But there is another important part of the environment that is rapidly changing that most of us overlook. And that is our natural grasslands. The grasslands comprise about 40% of the land on Earth and are yet another area of significant biodiversity. 

Grasses have evolved traits that enable them to cope with climate extremes, fires, changing soil condition. They typically grow in specific zones where temperature and precipitation prevent the establishment of forests. Grasslands also have a strong influence on climate regulation through the sequestration of carbon and the ability to cool the atmosphere. 

Grasslands are also known for their very rich soil. That is why these lands are so often converted to agricultural use. In fact less than 40% of the original 550 million acres of grasslands that stretch from Alberta to Mexico, remain intact today. In 2021 alone 1.6 million acres of grasslands were lost due to development, conversion to agriculture and urbanization. The rate of clearing of these grasslands is on par with the loss of tropical rain forests yet it receives far less attention. 

Threat Number Two

Direct exploitation of natural resources such as plants, animals, and fisheries. 

Once again I am going to give only a few examples because this is something that could fill an entire book. 

Let’s first start out with fish. 

What is presently known is that 90% of the worlds fish stocks are full exploited, overexploited and completely depleted. We have now reached the limits of one of the last natural harvesting human activities on the planet. 

This is truly a man-made tragedy because over 3 billion people rely on the oceans and seas for resources to sustain themselves. Fish is actually one of the most traded commodities in the world and is a valuable resource that is quickly being lost. This is just another example of how the fine balance between human consumption and nature is being completely ignored. At current trends we could lose the ocean as a food source by 2048. 

Fresh water extraction and use is creating yet another crisis. Ground water in Germany which supplies nearly 70% of the country is declining. Iran’s Lake Urmia, one of the largest salt water lakes in the world is drying up. In the US, all seven states that depend on the Colorado River are under water stress. Arizona is the most severe, followed by New Mexico, Colorado, and California.

Researchers from the University of California conducted the largest ever assessment of global groundwater. Hydrologist Scott Jasechko lead the study and concluded that one in five wells worldwide were at risk of running dry. 

Soil erosion is another huge concern. It is believed that 75% of the land on Earth has been degraded in one fashion or another. This is course is the result of our agricultural practices. 

And of course we are also in the middle of a human caused mass extinction. The world’s wildlife populations have declined by 70% over the last 50 years. 

Threat Number Three 

Climate Change

This should be no big surprise at this point.  One of the biggest threats to our very existence is climate change. In fact climate change is literally dismantling ecosystems on every level. Extreme weather is destroying habitats. Warming temperatures are disrupting the time a specific natural events, such as the availability of flowering plants and insects needed for food. Species distribution is also changing. 

But warming temperatures also cause the further spread of disease, increase air pollution, result in displacement of human populations just to mention a few things.  

Now I will not belabor this point because I think you get the picture. 

Threat Number Four

Pollution

The next major threat is pollution. 

Nitrogen and Phosphorus run off from agriculture is altering our environment in numerous ways. One of the major concerns is that the run off eventually reaches the oceans and creates a dead zone, which is an area that is oxygen depleted. Few organisms can even survive under such conditions. At present, scientists have identified 415 dead zones around the world. This is the direct result of our agricultural practices, industrial activities, and our population growth. 

In developing countries where laws are less restrict, dead zones are the direct result of industrial activity and the dumping of raw sewage into the local water supply and into the oceans.

Presently humans produced 350 million metric tons of plastic waste every year. Unless things change, that is expected to reach one billion metric tons annually. 

Chemical pollution has been at dangerous levels for years. A study piloted by the Stockholm Environment Institute found that chemical production and pollution far out pace the ability to monitor and assess the environmental impacts. Over 350,000 chemical are used my humanity everyday and few have been tested to determine if they are safe. Two thousand new chemicals are added every single day. The average person is exposed to 700,000 toxic chemicals every single day. Furthermore, the possible combinations of these chemicals are astronomical and we have no idea of the health affects of all these combinations. 

It is further estimated that only 1% of the Earth actually has clean air. In the US 51% of rivers and 55% of our lakes are polluted to the point that they are considered unhealthy for swimming, fishing, or consuming the aquatic life. 

Threat Number Five

Introduction of Invasive Species

This is mostly the result of our global trade system and the fact that people travel extensively. Invasive species have resulted in approximately 40% of all known extinctions and is one of the top five reasons for loss of biodiversity. 

Nearly 20% of our planet is at risk due to invasive species. From pigs to zebra mussels, to Asian carp, the Burmese python, Cane toads, honey suckles, mosquitos, and lion fish which I have personally encountered.  The list goes on endlessly. 

On a global basis, invasive species cost the global economy approximately $427 billion USD annually. It is also estimate that over 37,000 non-native species have been transported around the world due to human activity. 

Summary

So, there you have it folks. The five biggest threats to our natural world: changes in land and marine environments, direct exploitation of natural resources, climate change, pollution, and introduction of invasive species. 

Now that I think about it, this goes right along with episode 154 and 155 where I talk extensively about how we are living beyond the boundaries of our planet.  

Now I know this sounds like dire circumstances. But, there is actually something we can all do about it. It truly is all about living sustainably and minimizing your impact. From how and what you drive, to what you wear, to what you eat day-to-day, to the various products you consume, everything we do has an impact on the natural world. But there are numerous numerous things we can do about it. Conserve energy, compost you organic waste instead of throwing it in the trash where it ends up in the land fill. You ca grow your own food. Simply reducing your food waste will have a significant impact since 30% to 40% of the food produce globally is water.  You can recycle, eat less meat, and buy in bulk, Reduce plastic pollution and go plastic free. By all mean cut back on your water usage because every household in our country using 300 gallons of water per day. These are all ways in which we can live sustainably.  

Humanity as a whole actually has a fantastic opportunity to completely re-envision how we live. Over thousands of years we have been through six major transitions which have dramatically altered the course of humanity. I truly believe the seventh transition needs to be towards a renewable sustainable lifestyle where there is equal opportunity for even the most marginalize people on our planet. We have the knowledge and the technology to make it happen. We just have to learn to make better choices. 

Living sustainably is truly a lifestyle choice not an end point. After 27 years of living off the grid I am still learning new and creative ways to save money, reduce my impact, live on less and be sustainable. Every month I add at least one new item to my list of things I now longer purchase from the supermarket. So it is possible to live sustainably and produce a lot of your own food.  

I want to close this episode with a simple quote from Confucius because I think this is directly applicable to living sustainable: It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop. 

But the same is true for living sustainably. All you have to do is get started. It is often said that the most important part of any accomplishment is take the first step. When it comes to sustainability, even changing one simple thing about your life once a month will have a huge impact 5 years from now. Just remember what I have said so often. Preventing a single piece of trash from going to the landfill is not what is going to save the planet. But a lifetime of sustainable habits will. One sustainable habit a month for the rest of your life is all it takes. Just do not stop. As Confucius says,  “It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop.” 

I truly hope you have enjoyed this episode and that you will join me again next week. Until then, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we will build a better future.