All posts by torieh

SOS: Save Our Species

One of the biggest environmental concerns is conserving our wildlife population.  This tends to be an issue that people can more easily relate and latch on to.

After all, who can say no to these faces?

panda
Giant Panda, Photo from: http://savethee.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/pandafix1.jpg
poipose
Yangtze Finless Porpoise, Photo from: http://yangtzefinlessporpoise.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/7/6/11762809/913010.jpg?541
amur leopard
Amur Leopard, Photo from: http://www.zooborns.com/.a/6a010535647bf3970b017c320f1253970b-500wi
Mountain Gorilla, Photo From: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6v_X-4gPrrI/UbwrOx2ydLI/AAAAAAAAEwc/u1tq00Cqbh4/s1600/4+Mountain+Gorilla+Baby.jpg
Mountain Gorilla, Photo From: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6v_X-4gPrrI/UbwrOx2ydLI/AAAAAAAAEwc/u1tq00Cqbh4/s1600/4+Mountain+Gorilla+Baby.jpg

These four species are all on the endangered species list on the World Wildlife Foundation website.  The Amur Leopard, Yangtze Finless Porpoise, and Mountain Gorilla are all critically endangered, while the Giant Panda is endangered.

There are multiple statistics for the number of endangered species on this planet.  One lists over 20,000 plants and animals.  Another site breaks it down by category with a total of almost 52,000 from extinct to least concern.  Regardless, there are too many species that might disappear if things don’t change.

There are multiple reasons that these incredible species are slowly being wiped off this planet.  Deforestation, climate change, illegal wildlife trade, and pollution are just a few of these contributing factors.  Unfortunately, it would take forever to explain how all of these issues specifically contributes to wildlife loss, so I will focus on the four species shown above.

Giant Panda
How many remain: 1,600
Habitat: Temperate and mixed leaf forests in mountain ranges of China

china-giant-panda-map-habitat-range-history-wwf
http://www.globalsherpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/china-giant-panda-map-habitat-range-history-wwf.jpg

Threats:

  • Hunting
  • Human development in habitat areas

Yangtze Finless Porpoise
How many remain: 1,000-1,800
Habitat: Yangtze River in China, fresh water

Baiji_conservation_efforts_map
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Baiji_conservation_efforts_map.png

Threats:

  • Depletion of food supply from:

– Overfishing
– Pollution
– Ship traffic

Amur Leopard
How many remain: 30
Habitat: Temperate and mixed leaf forests in northeastern China and far-eastern Russia

leopard_map_opt
http://assets.wwf.org.uk/img/original/leopard_map_opt.jpg

Threats:

  • Poaching for coats
  • Illegal wildlife trade
  • Declining prey population

Mountain Gorilla
How many remain: 880
Habitat: Forests and mountains in the Congo Basin

http://www.igcp.org/wp-content/themes/igcp/img/maps/M-gorilla-habitat-map.gif
http://www.igcp.org/wp-content/themes/igcp/img/maps/M-gorilla-habitat-map.gif

Threats:

  • Habitat loss
  • Disease
  • Poaching

 

For a complete updated list of endangered species, click here.
To view endangered species from the United States, click here.

Global Environmental Policy

Dealing with environmental issues is a complicated issue in itself. Despite having a global impact, there is no global government to regulate or implement policy. It’s up to individual nations to enact their own environmental policies, with the help of some influencing international organizations.

Let’s look at some major players.

The United States

Photo from: http://www.balticuniv.uu.se/images/stories/SBRupdate/Chapter-3/2003-world-consumption-cartogram.gif
Photo from: http://www.balticuniv.uu.se/images/stories/SBRupdate/Chapter-3/2003-world-consumption-cartogram.gif

The United States is one of the most influential world powers, and the way that we pursue environmental action could affect a plethora of other nations.

The US has a history of non-interference into environmental law and policy.  In the past, we have tended to remove ourselves from the issue, despite being one the world’s leading polluters, consumers, and producers.  In 2010, the United States had the second highest levels of pollution at 5,433,057 kilotons of carbon.  This figure was second only to China’s 8,286,892 kilotons (WorldBank).  Given that China’s population is 4.3 times greater than the US, but their carbon emissions are only 1.5 times greater, the United States could be considered the bigger problem.  The United States is also the world’s biggest consumer

The US is not known for taking precautionary action when it comes to environmental issues. Rather, they tend to worry about things after they actually happen.

China

China Smog
Photo from: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dT_xIkZ2Lak/Uaak4Vg0xrI/AAAAAAAABJM/I909NOrg4OE/s1600/China+Smog.jpg

China’s environmental problems are among some of the most scrutinized in the world.  Their air is littered with extreme levels of smog, their rivers are heavily polluted, they are overpopulated, and they emit the largest amount of carbon dioxide on the planet.

UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program)

The UNEP is the leading international organization for environmental policy.

Kyoto Protocol