The World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Report is a checkup on the health of Earth, and this year’s report is the most comprehensive yet. Spoiler alert: its findings aren't good.

But all's not doom and gloom: Enter the Rescue Effect, a perspective that believes there’s a lot to be optimistic about. 

On this episode I’m excited to bring you two contrasting viewpoints to the biodiversity problem. First I speak with Brent Loken, Global Food Lead Scientist for the World Wildlife Fund; in the second part of today's show I speak with conservation expert Michael Mehta Webster about his new book, The Rescue Effect. 

Here's a preview:

[2:30] An overview of the major findings from WWF's 2022 Living Planet Index

[6:00] What's going on in the tropics?

[19:00] The rescue effect in practice

[21:00] If nature has an inherent ability to persist, why do species go extinct?

[27:00] Can the rescue effect ensure the survival of human beings amidst the next great mass extinction event?

[33:00] How we can help give species a leg up, according to conservation experts

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