Biodiversity decline puts food supply at risk

Biodiversity decline around the globe is hurting our capacity to develop food. A new study from the United Nations found that biodiversity is a key element in producing sustainable and secure food sources — such as crops and livestock — is currently in a decline due to several factors, including climate change . Scientists working with the Food and Agriculture Organization arm of the UN discovered that biodiversity has dropped across three levels: ecosystems, genetics and species. Without diversity in all three of the sectors, farmers and livestock owners will have a more difficult time raising reliable food sources in years to come. “The proportion of livestock breeds at risk of extinction is increasing. Overall, the diversity of crops present in farmers’ fields has declined and threats to crop diversity are increasing,” the research stated. Related: SUPERFARM design envisions an urban vertical farm that is energy self-sufficient The decline in species, for example, affects essential tasks in nature like managing pests and pollination. With an estimated 40 percent of species expected to go extinct over the next 20 to 30 years, this could have a devastating impact all around the world. Large mammals are also hurting from a lack of biodiversity, with over 25 percent of livestock on the verge of extinction. Further, there are only around seven percent of livestock breeds that are not at risk of extinction, which is alarming for the future of breeding. The UN report concluded that climate change is a contributing factor in the decline of biodiversity. Other human interactions with the environment are also leading to a change in biodiversity, including pollution, demographic changes, land abuse, and overcultivation. The study also warned that our ability to monitor changes in biodiversity is limited, which means we might be worse off than we think. Fortunately, the topic of biodiversity is getting more attention by worldwide leaders. In fact, it will take center stage at the upcoming G7 meeting and the World Conservation Congress gathering. It is unclear what will be done to combat the issue, but biodiversity decline is a problem that can no longer go ignored. Via CNN Image via Shutterstock

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Biodiversity decline puts food supply at risk

How DSM is embracing the Sustainable Development Goals

The food supply giant is pursuing five of the SDGs to drive its sustainability efforts, including the mission to eradicate hunger.

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How DSM is embracing the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainability execs share strategies for new era of ESG disclosure

A new era of investor accountability is driving new processes at NRG, Prologis and Salesforce.

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Sustainability execs share strategies for new era of ESG disclosure

What lies beneath: To manage toxic contamination in cities, study their industrial histories

With the constant turnover of land, many American cities are facing legacy hazardous waste that they didn’t even know was there.

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What lies beneath: To manage toxic contamination in cities, study their industrial histories

This element, essential to all life, is rapidly disappearing from the planet

Of the many things threatening the world’s food supply, the element with the ability to wreak the most havoc hasn’t made many headlines. Researchers are now warning that waning phosphorous levels could devastate food production around the globe. A nonrenewable resource with no synthetic substitute, phosphorous is an essential nutrient and it’s disappearing faster than anyone realized. Read the rest of This element, essential to all life, is rapidly disappearing from the planet

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This element, essential to all life, is rapidly disappearing from the planet

We’ve lost a third of the world’s farmlands in the last 40 years

A new study found that the world has lost a third of its food-producing land in the last four decades. Erosion and pollution are two of the biggest reasons that we’re losing fertile soil , and it’s happening at a rate far faster than the natural processes that replace diminished soil. Researchers are taking this message to world leaders this week in Paris , in an effort to command environmental policies that call for agricultural practices that would slow the land loss. Read the rest of We’ve lost a third of the world’s farmlands in the last 40 years

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We’ve lost a third of the world’s farmlands in the last 40 years

Contemporary timber homes rise above Lithuania’s historic ammunition vaults

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Contemporary timber homes rise above Lithuania’s historic ammunition vaults

Climate change poses a serious threat to global wheat crops

New studies reveal that increasing global temperatures are likely to put a damper on wheat crop yields. A six percent reduction in yields is expected for each 1.8 degree F (1 degree C) increase in temperature. Considering that current emissions levels could eventually lead to a global temperature increase of 9 degrees F (5 degrees C), this is very bad news. Read the rest of Climate change poses a serious threat to global wheat crops Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Climate Change , Environment , food , food crops , food supply , global temperatures , global warming , greenhouse gas emissions , hunger , population , wheat , wheat crops

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Climate change poses a serious threat to global wheat crops

INFOGRAPHIC: How We Can Make the Food Supply Chain More Eco-Friendly

Greening up the food supply chain is an essential part of living sustainably. From improving food transportation to converting farm waste to energy , there are so many different ways that we can lessen the environmental impact from the foods we eat. Marlyhurst University  created this handy guide for a sustainable and environmentally-friendly food supply chain – tackling the entire system from farm to table – so that we can improve the way we dine. Read the rest of INFOGRAPHIC: How We Can Make the Food Supply Chain More Eco-Friendly Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: eating green , environmentally friendly eating , food environmental impact , food supply , Food supply chain , green food supply chain , infographic , living green , Marylhurst infographic , reader submitted content , sustainable food , sustainable food supply chain , sustainable living

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INFOGRAPHIC: How We Can Make the Food Supply Chain More Eco-Friendly

Climate Change Blamed for Alarming Increases in Ocean Acidity

The effects of climate change seems to know no bounds: new research shows carbon emissions have dramatically increased the acidity of our oceans to the point where our entire food web is at risk of collapsing. In a recent report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), scientists said the ocean’s acidity level has gone up 26 percent in the past 200 years, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution . According to Phys.org , that increase in acidity directly mirrors the proportion of carbon dioxide oceans have been absorbing ever since humans started burning massive amounts of fossil fuels for energy. Read the rest of Climate Change Blamed for Alarming Increases in Ocean Acidity Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: acidity levels , biodiveristy , carbon , cbd , Climate Change , convention , emissions , food supply , Life , marine , ocean , United Nations

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