Progressive Voices

Background Briefing 05-08-2019 by Progressive Voices

Leslie is joined by Collin O’Mara, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), a bipartisan organization committed to the advancement of wildlife conservation.

The two discuss a new report released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Here is a summary of the report, courtesy of Axios.com:

'Earth hurtles toward extinction crisis — 1 million species at risk'

The diversity of life on our planet is deteriorating far more rapidly than previously thought, with up to 1 million species threatened with extinction, many of which could be lost "within decades," concludes a sweeping new scientific assessment released Monday in Paris.

Why it matters: The report, from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), finds that factors such as land use change, overfishing, pollution, climate change and population growth are pushing nature to the brink. Only "transformational change" to the way society operates can put us back on course to meet global sustainable development targets, which nearly every country on Earth has committed to, the report concludes.

The big picture: The IPBES findings, a summary of which was released Monday, amount to a first-ever global report on the state of nature, and it is aimed at getting policy-makers, activists and others to place biodiversity loss higher on the list of global priorities.

Biodiversity, which is the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems, is declining at the fastest rate in human history, the report finds.

Though many of the report's findings are grim, they come with some silver lining: There is still time to avoid the future it projects. For example,nearly 100 groups worldwide are working to designate 30% of the Earth's surface for protection by 2030, and 50% by 2050, in an effort to avert the extinction of many marine species.

Biodiversity loss isn't just a matter of losing iconic species, the report finds, but it directly threatens human well-being by reducing the number of crops and livestock available to produce food.

In addition, the loss of marine and tropical species will also limit the availability and development of new drug treatments for human diseases, among other ramifications.

By the numbers:

8 million: Total estimated number of plant and animal species on Earth (includes insects).

Up to 1 million: Total number of species threatened with extinction.

Tens to hundreds of times: "The extent to which the current global rate of species extinction is higher compared to average over the last 10 million years." This rate is accelerating, the report finds.

40%: Amphibian species threatened with extinction.

25%: "Average proportion of species threatened with extinction across terrestrial, freshwater and marine vertebrate, invertebrate and plant groups that have been studied in sufficient detail."

145: Number of report authors from 50 countries during the past 3 years.

310: Contributing authors to the report.

15,000: Scientific, government and indigenous sources that went into this report.

130: Member governments of the IPBES, including the Unites States.

Details: The report recommends a series of large-scale changes in how we manage our lands and seas, and it states that transformative change alone can put the world on a more sustainable course by 2050.

Be smart: This report is likely to be dismissed by some as just another in a long line of dire environmental predictions. But its call for systemic change, rather than incremental advances, is likely to provide a boost for activist movements now gaining strength around the world, particularly around climate change.

One such group, which is mainly active in Europe, is appropriately named for this task: Extinction Rebellion.

The website for the National Wildlife Federation is NWF.org and their Twitter handle is @NWF. Collin O'Mara's handle is @Collin_OMara.

Landmark U.N. report warns humans are pushing 1 million species on land and sea to the brink of extinction; Trump Administration repeals offshore drilling safety rules implemented after BP oil rig explosion; PLUS: Upper Midwest flooding in 2019 breaks all-time historic records... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His new show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Adrian Walker, Metro Columnist with 'The Boston Globe.' The two discuss how vulnerable President Trump is heading into the 2020 election, the Democratic Primary Election, and whether it's fair that Iowa and New Hampshire play such a large role in selecting presidential candidates. Adrian's Twitter handle is @Adrian_Walker.

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with two guests discussing what the Democratic party needs to do in order to defeat Trump in 2020, and whether we should expect Bernie Sanders' supporters to vote for the Democratic candidate for President if it's not Bernie.

The two round-table guests are Bob Wolper and Mark Grimaldi. Bob is a Democratic Strategist, and Vice President of 'Strategic Communications Consultants.' His Twitter handle is @BobWolper.

Mark Grimaldi, or 'Marky Mark' as Leslie Marshall calls him, is the Executive Producer of this show and a Democratic Activist. His Twitter handle is @MarkJGrimaldi.

Brad writes a column every Sunday on the 2020 Presidential race for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago.

His website is BannonCR.com and his Twitter handle is @BradBannon.

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