Vox posted an important story yesterday about the high rate of species extinction in Hawaii. Hawaii is off-limits for me now, but I have fond memories. Please, whenever you read something about the ongoing mass extinction crisis, write a story on DailyKos. We can’t be blind or silent or ignore the permanent end of most forms of life on earth, since we’re all responsible.
The beginning of the story focuses on snails, then cats, and finally on the climate crisis. I would have edited it to read more like this.
“There is an extinction crisis playing out worldwide — where as many as 1 million species are creeping toward the edge of existence — but the state of Hawaii is ground zero. It has lost more species than any other state, which is one reason why it’s been dubbed the extinction capital of the world.“
Snails, bugs and the like are important by themselves of course, but they are food for the beautiful birds we love. They’re also important as pollinators for the lovely flowers for which Hawaii is famous. Unfortunately, folks let their cats become feral, dooming many birds. And despite the obvious risk to bees, we continue to spray neonicotinoids and other pesticides killing wild pollinators.
“Rising temperatures are helping spread certain invasive species uphill, including mosquitos that kill birds and perhaps even the wolfsnail. Heat is also damaging coral reefs. Sea level rise, meanwhile, is shrinking coastal habitats where seals, turtles, and other animals nest. It’s mucking everything up.”
Shouldn’t such short-sighted behavior be illegal? Well, under the Endangered Species Act, it often is. But, as the article points out, the Act is underfunded, under-enforced and likely applies too late to save many species from ultimate extinction.
Yet the Act is no match for the collapse of ecosystems at large or the growing threats that shrink populations in the first place. Climate change is altering habitats and has helped spread invasive species. Cities have swelled, as has plastic pollution. Scientists have documented widespread losses within groups of animals like birds and bumblebees. More than 40 percent of ecosystems in the US are now at risk of “range-wide collapse.” The Act is helping a subset of species hang on, while the rest of nature is in decline.
These declines are especially extreme in Hawaii.
I encourage you to read the whole article. There are both beautiful and sad photos of rare species at risk. And think about what must be done to make the Act work better. Carbon pollution is extinguishing life from this planet. Every species in the US should be protected by the Endangered Species Act before it goes extinct. So carbon pollution (and other pollution like light) must be reduced. There’s not much point in having laws to protect life on earth, if we don’t really fund, enforce or apply them.
Fully protecting species under the Act would be very expensive, requiring serious intervention into every ecosystem. That’s the type of cost that must be weighed against fossil fuel profits. If Exxon had to pay to keep all the coral and other species in Hawaii alive, then they would have to rethink their business model. Economists call this ‘eliminating externalities’. Normal people call this ‘cleaning up the mess you caused’.
Thanks for reading.