Western Lifestyle Spells the End of Biodiversity 

According to research out of Tomsk State University in Russia, new research identifies the historical trends that suggest we should be worried about the planet’s future.

“It is broadly accepted that biodiversity and the ecosystem are both fundamental to sustaining humanity and life on Earth, but in recent centuries they have been subject to heavy pressures due to overexploitation. Environmental protection is also raising concerns because of our improved understanding of the interconnections between human wellness and ecosystem health.”

The study compares the trends seen in the Living Planet Index (LPI) and the Human Development Index (HDI) and applies an economic-ecologic historical analysis. The author suggests that, “societies follow common development patterns as they move from an indigenous lifestyle to an undeveloped society, before entering a transitional phase as they move towards what we consider a developed state. As they go through this process, each society exploits local, regional and sometimes global natural resources to nourish its economic growth.”

This is not good for the sustainability of the world.

The researcher backs this up with the evidence. “Today we can see that higher latitude countries, populated by two billion people, consume their entire environmental capital in one year while lower latitude countries, that are home to more than five billion people, are depleting resources at a growing rate that will in a few years catch up with Western levels.”

He went on to note what action needs to be taken by saying, “If developing countries do not implement strategies to skip this ‘intermediate’ stage of natural resource overuse during the intense growth phase, the Earth’s systems will not be able to support the global biodiversity and ecosystems that sustain humanity.” That sounds like a big problem.

For more information, read the full article.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/nrts-wls040416.php

Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.