Wildlife Declines 73% in 50 Years

[trottigy]

Quote

On October 9, 2024, the World Wildlife Fund released a sobering report about the effect of human activity on wildlife. It revealed that “over the past 50 years (1970-2020), the average size of monitored wildlife populations has shrunk by 73%.” The report warned: “It is no exaggeration to say that what happens in the next five years will determine the future of life on Earth.”

 

 Many people are naturally shocked by such reports. We love our beautiful planet and hate to see its wildlife suffer. We feel this way because God intended for us to care for the animals.—Genesis 1:27, 28; Proverbs 12:10.

 

 So you may wonder, ‘Will we be able to protect the earth’s wildlife? What does the Bible say?’

 

Great article, but ...

 

PLEASE do NOT take the quote of "next five years" to mean we only have five years left. It could be that we have 5 and 1/2 

 

https://www.jw.org/en/library/series/more-topics/wildlife-decline-bible-say/

Edited October 21 by trottigy

[Leonard Match Valid]

I was very saddened by this realization ☹️

Then I wondered if Jesus said anything about the prophecy of the last days, if he said anything about the destruction of animals.

Although perhaps Jesus didn't say it directly (I haven't done any further research), it seems that the anointed said it in heaven and if he sent John on earth, to write it down.

 

Revelation 11:18 says:   “But the nations were angry, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time came for the dead to be judged and to reward your slaves, the prophets, and the saints and those who fear your name, both small and great, and to ruin those who ruin the earth.””

 

As the note says: Or: “to destroy those who are destroying” (the earth).

 

The book “Knowledge that Leads to Eternal Life” explains in Chapter 11, point 13:

¹³ “They ruin the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) More than 1,600 scientists from all over the world, including 104 Nobel Prize winners, endorsed a warning, issued by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which said: “Human beings and nature are on a collision course . . . There are no more than a few decades left before the chance to avert disaster is lost." The report said that man's life-threatening practices “may alter the world so much that it will be unable to sustain life as we know it”. . The destruction of the ozone layer, water pollution, deforestation, the loss of soil fertility and the extinction of many animal and plant species were cited as urgent problems that need to be addressed. “Our interference in the interdependent web of life”, said the UCS, “could trigger widespread effects, including collapses of biological systems whose dynamics we do not fully understand”.

I emphasize: “Collapse of biological systems”

It's already happening!

[trottigy]

"Knowledge" book - written 1995.

 

I guess that "a few decades" has come and gone, eh? It has been almost 30 years since that was written.

Edited October 22 by trottigy

[BLEmom]

Another sister and I were talking about this today. It’s disgusting. Basically we only have about 25% of animal life left that was around 50 years ago?!?  Imagine if that were humans dying off!  (Not counting judgment day)

We have about 8.4 billion on earth now in 2024.
75% death rate would be 6.3 billion. 
2023 world death rate was 61 million. 

https://ourworldindata.org/births-and-deaths

Of course there’s all kinds of other math you can do to get an accurate estimate of how many would be alive now compared to 50 years ago based on the numbers back then and birth/death rates.  But regardless these are huge numbers. 

[computerwiz]

The problem I have with any kind of statistic is it usually leaves out an important part of the picture.

 

Let's say the animal population 50 years ago was actually 400% above what is sustainable or what it originally was.  Fast forward to today, and now it's 100% where it should be.  But anyone comparing today to 50 years ago, that's a 75% drop!!  "OMG it's so terrible....ahh!!!"

 

See the problem?  I'm not saying its happening here.  I'm just saying I hate statistics.  

[Jwanon]

https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/catastrophic-73-decline-in-the-average-size-of-global-wildlife-populations-in-just-50-years-reveals-a-system-in-peril