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Scientists talk about the threat of a sudden collapse of the ecosystem
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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A prestigious group of scientists from around the world is concerned that population growth, the collapse of natural ecosystems around the world and climate change will create irreversible changes in the Earth's biosphere - a turning point for the entire planet, which will have destructive consequences in the absence of appropriate training and adjustments.
"It really will be a new world, from a biological point of view," warns Anthony Barnosky, a biology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the first author of a review article published in Nature. "The data show that there will be a decrease in biodiversity and a serious impact on many of the factors that we depend on to maintain our quality of life, including, for example, fishing, agriculture, forestry. This all can happen in the next generation. "
The article, written by 22 world-renowned scholars, shows the urgent need for predictable models based on a detailed understanding of how the biosphere reacted to conditions in the past, rapidly changing, including the climate and the growth in the number of people. In this regard, now in Berkeley is being developed an innovative study to create reliable, detailed biological forecasts, which are discussed in the article.
How close are we to the tipping point?
The authors of the review published in the journal Nature - biologists, environmentalists, complex system theorists, geologists and paleontologists from the United States, Canada, South America and Europe - argued that, although there are many dangerous signs, no one knows how close the Earth came to a turning point and whether or not it is inevitable. Scientists call for targeted research to identify early signs of a global transition and increase efforts to address root causes.
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