14 DAY TRIAL // Our planet has been ruthless to some of the species living on it over the long years of its existence. Extinction events and evolutionary bottlenecks have almost wiped out life on Earth on several occasions, but the culprit has always been nature. Now, it's humans. Excessive hunting and increased pollution are destroying the world's habitats and its ecosystems, and many species have nowhere to go. In spite of the fact that evolution works, it doesn't work fast enough to allow for many creatures to adapt to their new circumstances.
But, at least as far as pollution goes, there are still things that can be done to preserve a large number of species. For example, global warming can be mitigated, if nations take the appropriate measures. They may displease some people – those with great financial interests in things remaining the way they are –, but they are absolutely necessary in order to move forward in a sustainable fashion. Experts propose that the newly planned carbon-trading schemes, which will go in effect over the next few years, should be used to protect animals as well, ScienceDaily reports.
A new report, which was just released, before the UN Climate Summit next week, is arguing that regulators and policymakers should also incorporate biodiversity and animal-distribution patterns in their trading-scheme models. The scientists argue that this is the only way to protect the creatures living in highly industrialized areas. Companies with factories or power plants in pristine areas should pay more, or receive less carbon credits than those at locations that do not directly harm animals, the research group says.
“Dollar for dollar, a carbon-focused approach contributes little to slowing biodiversity loss and will save far fewer species than a biodiversity-focused strategy that targets the most imperiled forests,” the lead author of the new study, University of Queensland PhD candidate Oscar Venter, explains. The research was recently published in the latest issue of the top journal Science. Other authors include Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute senior staff scientist William Laurance, who is also a distinguished professor at the James Cook University.