Picture this: a world where over a million species are slipping silently toward extinction, wildlife populations have plummeted by an average of 69% in just fifty years, and 28% of all assessed species already face the threat of being erased from our planet forever.
Key Takeaways
- The IUCN Red List assesses 150,349 species, of which 42,089 (28%) are classified as threatened with extinction as of 2023
- Global biodiversity has declined by an average of 69% in populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians since 1970 according to the WWF Living Planet Report 2022
- Over 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, as reported by the IPBES Global Assessment Report 2019
- Global average temperature has risen by 1.1°C since pre-industrial times, IPCC AR6 2021
- 2023 was the hottest year on record, 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels, Copernicus Climate Change Service 2024
- Sea levels have risen by 20 cm since 1900, with rate accelerating to 4.62 mm/year (2013-2022), NOAA 2023
- Plastic pollution: 14 million tonnes enter oceans annually, IUCN 2021
- Microplastics found in 88% of ocean surface waters globally, representing 1.1 trillion pieces >0.5mm, Science 2020
- Global plastic production reached 460 million tonnes in 2019, projected 25% increase by 2025, OECD 2022
- Global deforestation rate: 10 million hectares/year (2015-2020), equivalent to 27 football fields/minute, FAO 2020
- Amazon rainforest lost 11.6% of its area (76 Mha) since 1985, INPE 2023
- Indonesia lost 9.7 Mha primary forest (2002-2019), world's highest, Global Forest Watch 2020
- Protected areas cover 17% land, 8% ocean, preventing significant habitat loss, UNEP-WCMC 2023
- Global reforestation efforts planted 13.6 billion trees since 2016 via Trillion Trees initiative, but survival rates ~50%, Nature 2022
- IUCN SSC saved 48 species from extinction since 1993, including 25 birds, IUCN 2023
Earth faces catastrophic biodiversity loss and accelerating climate crisis from human impacts.
Biodiversity
- The IUCN Red List assesses 150,349 species, of which 42,089 (28%) are classified as threatened with extinction as of 2023
- Global biodiversity has declined by an average of 69% in populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians since 1970 according to the WWF Living Planet Report 2022
- Over 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, as reported by the IPBES Global Assessment Report 2019
- Insect populations in German protected areas have declined by 76% over 27 years (1989-2016), with biomass loss of 82%, per a 2017 study in PLOS One
- Coral reefs have lost approximately 14% of their cover globally since 2009, equating to 11,700 square kilometers, according to the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network 2020
- 85% of wetland areas have been lost since 1700, totaling 3.4 million square kilometers, as per the Ramsar Convention's Global Wetland Outlook 2018
- Bird populations in North America have declined by 3 billion (29%) since 1970, per Science Advances 2019 study
- Freshwater species populations have declined by 84% on average since 1970, the highest of any ecosystem, WWF Living Planet Report 2022
- 37% of assessed shark and ray species (123 out of 331) are threatened with extinction, IUCN 2020
- Global tree cover loss from 2001-2022 totaled 502 Mha (million hectares), equivalent to the size of South America, Global Forest Watch
- 75% of Earth's land surface (excluding Antarctica) has been significantly altered by human actions, IPBES 2019
- Marine animal populations have declined by 34% since 1970, WWF 2022
- 1 in 4 mammals is threatened with extinction globally, IUCN 2022
- Amphibian populations have declined by 68% since 1970, WWF 2022
- 40% of global insect species are at risk of extinction, per 2019 review in Biological Conservation
- Seagrass meadows have declined by 7% per year in some regions since the 1980s, UNEP 2021
- 51% of assessed freshwater fish species are threatened, IUCN 2023
- Global mangrove extent has declined by 35% since 1980, totaling 1.3 million hectares lost, FAO 2007 updated in 2020
- Reptile species threatened: 21% of 10,196 assessed (2,177 species), IUCN 2022
- 97% of insect-driven pollination is provided by wild bees, and 1/3 of wild bee species are declining, IPBES 2016
- Ocean biodiversity hotspots have lost 30-50% of species in recent decades, per Nature 2021
- 60% of 680 assessed medicinal plant species are threatened, WHO/IUCN 2017
- Bat populations in North America declined by 75% in affected caves due to white-nose syndrome since 2006, USGS 2022
- 80% of wild coffee species are at risk of extinction by 2100 due to climate change, Kew Gardens 2019
- Global population of African elephants declined from 12 million a century ago to 415,000 in 2015, WWF
- 25% of assessed conifer species (48 of 193) are threatened, IUCN 2021
- Kelp forests have declined by 40-60% in some regions since 1950, Oceanography 2020
- 35% of assessed cycad species (199 of 354) are critically endangered, IUCN 2022
- Global freshwater megafauna populations declined by 88% from 1970-2020, Fish and Fisheries 2023
- 50% of primate species (over 300) are threatened with extinction, IUCN 2020
Biodiversity Interpretation
Our planet's biodiversity is unraveling at a statistically catastrophic rate, as if we are methodically deleting the very operating system of life while still expecting it to boot.
Climate Change
- Global average temperature has risen by 1.1°C since pre-industrial times, IPCC AR6 2021
- 2023 was the hottest year on record, 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels, Copernicus Climate Change Service 2024
- Sea levels have risen by 20 cm since 1900, with rate accelerating to 4.62 mm/year (2013-2022), NOAA 2023
- Arctic sea ice extent has declined by 12.6% per decade since 1979, NSIDC 2023
- Ocean heat content has increased by 436 zettajoules (0-2000m depth) from 1971-2022, equivalent to 91 billion Hiroshima bombs, IPCC AR6
- CO2 atmospheric concentration reached 419 ppm in 2023, highest in 2 million years, NOAA Mauna Loa
- Global glacier mass loss: 267 Gt/year (2011-2020), highest on record, IPCC AR6
- Extreme heat days have increased 5-fold globally since 1950s, World Weather Attribution 2023
- Methane levels rose 11% from 2008-2019, contributing 30% to warming since 1990, NOAA 2022
- Coral bleaching events have doubled in frequency since 1980s, NOAA Coral Reef Watch 2023
- Global wildfire carbon emissions tripled from 2001-2023, Copernicus 2024
- Antarctic sea ice hit record low in Feb 2023, 1.79 million km², 30% below average, NSIDC
- Crop yield losses due to climate: 21% for wheat, 5% for maize globally (1981-2019), Nature Climate Change 2021
- Human deaths from extreme weather: 5 million annually attributable to climate change (1991-2018), Nature Climate Change 2021
- Tropical cyclones intensified by 10% per decade since 1979, Geophysical Research Letters 2020
- Permafrost thaw released 1.7 Gt carbon annually (2000-2017), Nature Geoscience 2021
- Ocean acidification increased 30% since industrial revolution, pH drop 0.1 units, IOC-UNESCO 2022
- Global precipitation extremes: 7% increase per 1°C warming, IPCC AR6
- Heatwaves 5 times more likely due to climate change in 2023, World Weather Attribution
- Greenland ice sheet lost 280 Gt/year (1992-2018), Nature 2020
- Drought frequency doubled in Mediterranean since 1900, IPCC AR6
- Vector-borne diseases expanding: malaria risk to 5.2 billion people by 2080, Lancet 2022
- Renewable energy share in electricity: 29% global in 2022, IRENA
- Fossil fuel CO2 emissions peaked? No, rebounded to 37.4 Gt in 2023, Global Carbon Project
- 1.5°C warming threshold could be reached by 2030s under current policies, UNEP Emissions Gap 2023
- Global surface air temperature anomaly +1.18°C (2014-2023 decade), warmest on record, WMO 2024
Climate Change Interpretation
The planet’s fever chart is a cascade of broken records, each screaming that while we are masterfully documenting our own demise, we remain perilously unimpressed with the urgency of the cure.
Conservation
- Protected areas cover 17% land, 8% ocean, preventing significant habitat loss, UNEP-WCMC 2023
- Global reforestation efforts planted 13.6 billion trees since 2016 via Trillion Trees initiative, but survival rates ~50%, Nature 2022
- IUCN SSC saved 48 species from extinction since 1993, including 25 birds, IUCN 2023
- Payments for ecosystem services cover 400 Mha, mostly forests, PESP 2021
- Global wildlife trade regulated by CITES for 40,000 species, preventing overexploitation, CITES 2023
- Community-managed forests store 31% more carbon than state-managed, PNAS 2020
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) increased to 8.4% ocean coverage (26 M km²) by 2023, but only 2.6% no-take, MPAtlas 2024
- Reforestation/restoration potential: 900 Mha globally, sequester 205 Gt CO2, Science 2019
- Endangered species recovery: 4% of US listed species delisted due to recovery (1991-2020), USFWS 2023
- Indigenous territories protect 36 Mha Amazon forest, reducing deforestation 50% vs non-indigenous, PNAS 2021
- Global biodiversity credits emerging, 100+ projects offsetting 1 Mt CO2e via habitat, Verra 2023
- Rewilding Europe restored 3 Mha, reintroduced 130 species, Rewilding Europe 2023
- Coral reef restoration: 100,000+ corals outplanted globally, but survival 20-50%, Frontiers 2022
- Sustainable fishing certifications (MSC) cover 14% global catch, 20,000+ products, MSC 2023
- BirdLife International's Key Biodiversity Areas cover 13% land, protecting 86% threatened birds, BirdLife 2023
- Global peatland restoration: 500,000 ha rewetted 2016-2023, UNECE 2024
- Invasive species management eradicated 1,000+ populations from islands, Island Conservation 2023
- Green bonds for conservation: $50 billion issued 2015-2022, Climate Bonds Initiative
- Butterfly recovery: 50% populations stabilized in UK via agri-environment schemes, Butterfly Conservation 2022
- Ocean cleanup removed 100,000 kg plastic from Great Pacific Garbage Patch since 2019, The Ocean Cleanup 2023
- Half-Earth Project aims 50% land protected by 2050, currently 15%, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation 2023
Conservation Interpretation
The data reveals we're frantically mending the planet's safety net with both impressive stitches and sobering gaps, proving that while our conservation efforts are real and growing, their ultimate success hinges not on grand announcements but on the meticulous, often fragile, follow-through.
Deforestation
- Global deforestation rate: 10 million hectares/year (2015-2020), equivalent to 27 football fields/minute, FAO 2020
- Amazon rainforest lost 11.6% of its area (76 Mha) since 1985, INPE 2023
- Indonesia lost 9.7 Mha primary forest (2002-2019), world's highest, Global Forest Watch 2020
- Tropical primary forest loss: 4.1 Mha in 2022, highest since 2010, WRI 2023
- Congo Basin deforestation: 5.1 Mha lost 2001-2022, accelerating recently, Global Forest Watch
- Global tree cover loss 2022: 6.6 Mha from fires, 4.1 Mha commodity-driven, WRI
- Soy expansion drove 2.4 Mha deforestation in Brazil 2001-2020, WWF 2022
- Palm oil plantations caused 3.5 Mha deforestation in Indonesia 2000-2016, Chain Reaction Research 2020
- Cattle ranching responsible for 80% of Amazon deforestation, WWF 2021
- Illegal logging accounts for 15-30% of global wood trade, 50-90% in Amazon, WWF 2023
- Boreal forest loss: 2.3 Mha/year Canada/Russia 2001-2019 from fire/logging, Global Forest Watch
- Mangrove deforestation rate 0.13%/year (2010-2020), 35,000 ha/year lost, UNEP-WCMC 2022
- Africa lost 3.9 Mha primary forest 2010-2020, FAO
- Mining drove 0.5 Mha tropical deforestation 2005-2013, Nature Geoscience 2017
- Urban expansion caused 1.2 Mha forest loss globally 2000-2020, The Lancet Planetary Health 2022
- Fire-related tree cover loss 2023: 7.3 Mha globally, highest except 2020, Global Forest Watch
- Brazil Cerrado lost 23% cover since 1985, 50 Mha, MapBiomas 2023
- Timber plantations expanded 5 Mha 2010-2020, often replacing native forest, FAO
- Southeast Asia lost 30% peatland forest 1990-2015, 6.5 Mha drained, Wetlands International 2020
- Global net forest loss slowed to 5.2 Mha/year 2010-2020 from 7.8 Mha 1990-2000, FAO 2020
- Protected areas prevented 29.1 Mha deforestation 2010-2015 globally, Nature 2019
Deforestation Interpretation
Humanity is treating the world's lungs like a disposable party balloon, popping them at a rate of 27 football fields per minute, primarily to make room for our burgers, soy, and shopping lists.
Pollution
- Plastic pollution: 14 million tonnes enter oceans annually, IUCN 2021
- Microplastics found in 88% of ocean surface waters globally, representing 1.1 trillion pieces >0.5mm, Science 2020
- Global plastic production reached 460 million tonnes in 2019, projected 25% increase by 2025, OECD 2022
- 80% of marine litter is plastic, totaling 11 million tonnes/year into oceans, UNEP 2021
- Air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths annually, WHO 2022
- Nitrogen pollution from agriculture affects 66% of European freshwater bodies, EEA 2023
- Global e-waste generated 62 million tonnes in 2022, only 22.3% recycled, UNU 2024
- PFAS 'forever chemicals' detected in rainwater worldwide exceeding safe levels, PNAS 2022
- Lead exposure causes 1.2 million deaths/year globally, mostly children, Lancet 2022
- Oil spills release 3-8 million tonnes into oceans annually from chronic sources, ITOPF 2023
- Atmospheric ammonia pollution tripled since 1960, causing 1.5 million premature deaths/year, Nature 2023
- 91% of world population breathes unsafe air, PM2.5 levels 5x WHO guideline, IQAir 2023
- Pesticide use: 3.5 million tonnes/year globally, contaminating 24% of arable land, FAO 2022
- Mercury emissions from artisanal gold mining: 1,000 tonnes/year, UNEP 2023
- Textile microfibers: 0.5 million tonnes/year into oceans from laundry, IUCN 2017
- Coal power plants emit 10 Gt CO2/year, plus SO2 40 Mt, air pollution hotspots, Global Energy Monitor 2023
- Groundwater nitrate pollution affects 185 million people, exceeding safe limits, The Lancet 2020
- Ship scrubber washwater discharges 10-20 million tonnes acidic waste into seas annually, Nature Sustainability 2022
- Global fertilizer nitrogen use: 110 Mt/year, 50% lost to environment, Our World in Data 2023
- PCB levels in Arctic beluga whales 10x higher than 1970s despite bans, Science 2021
- Urban noise pollution exceeds WHO limits in 80% of European cities, EEA 2020
- Light pollution increased 10% annually, affecting 80% of world population, Science Advances 2022
Pollution Interpretation
If these statistics were a medical chart, Earth would be rushed into intensive care with multiple organ failure, all while the patient keeps requesting more of the poison.
Sources & References
- Reference 1IUCNREDLISTiucnredlist.orgVisit source
- Reference 2LIVINGPLANETlivingplanet.panda.orgVisit source
- Reference 3IPBESipbes.netVisit source
- Reference 4JOURNALSjournals.plos.orgVisit source
- Reference 5GCRMNgcrmn.netVisit source
- Reference 6RAMSARramsar.orgVisit source
- Reference 7SCIENCEscience.orgVisit source
- Reference 8IUCNiucn.orgVisit source
- Reference 9GLOBALFORESTWATCHglobalforestwatch.orgVisit source
- Reference 10SCIENCEDIRECTsciencedirect.comVisit source
- Reference 11UNEPunep.orgVisit source
- Reference 12FAOfao.orgVisit source
- Reference 13NATUREnature.comVisit source
- Reference 14WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 15USGSusgs.govVisit source
- Reference 16KEWkew.orgVisit source
- Reference 17WORLDWILDLIFEworldwildlife.orgVisit source
- Reference 18TOStos.orgVisit source
- Reference 19ONLINELIBRARYonlinelibrary.wiley.comVisit source
- Reference 20IPCCipcc.chVisit source
- Reference 21CLIMATEclimate.copernicus.euVisit source
- Reference 22CLIMATEclimate.govVisit source
- Reference 23NSIDCnsidc.orgVisit source
- Reference 24GMLgml.noaa.govVisit source
- Reference 25WORLDWEATHERATTRIBUTIONworldweatherattribution.orgVisit source
- Reference 26NOAAnoaa.govVisit source
- Reference 27CORALREEFWATCHcoralreefwatch.noaa.govVisit source
- Reference 28ATMOSPHEREatmosphere.copernicus.euVisit source
- Reference 29AGUPUBSagupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.comVisit source
- Reference 30OCEANACIDIFICATIONoceanacidification.netVisit source
- Reference 31THELANCETthelancet.comVisit source
- Reference 32IRENAirena.orgVisit source
- Reference 33GLOBALCARBONPROJECTglobalcarbonproject.orgVisit source
- Reference 34WMOwmo.intVisit source
- Reference 35OECDoecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 36EEAeea.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 37EWASTEMONITORewastemonitor.infoVisit source
- Reference 38PNASpnas.orgVisit source
- Reference 39ITOPFitopf.orgVisit source
- Reference 40IQAIRiqair.comVisit source
- Reference 41GLOBALENERGYMONITORglobalenergymonitor.orgVisit source
- Reference 42OURWORLDINDATAourworldindata.orgVisit source
- Reference 43TERRAterra.ipea.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 44WRIwri.orgVisit source
- Reference 45CHAINREACTIONRESEARCHchainreactionresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 46WWFwwf.panda.orgVisit source
- Reference 47UNEP-WCMCunep-wcmc.orgVisit source
- Reference 48MAPBIOMASmapbiomas.orgVisit source
- Reference 49WETLANDSwetlands.orgVisit source
- Reference 50PROTECTEDPLANETprotectedplanet.netVisit source
- Reference 51CITEScites.orgVisit source
- Reference 52MPATLASmpatlas.orgVisit source
- Reference 53FWSfws.govVisit source
- Reference 54VERRAverra.orgVisit source
- Reference 55REWILDINGEUROPErewildingeurope.comVisit source
- Reference 56FRONTIERSINfrontiersin.orgVisit source
- Reference 57MSCmsc.orgVisit source
- Reference 58BIRDLIFEbirdlife.orgVisit source
- Reference 59UNECEunece.orgVisit source
- Reference 60ISLANDCONSERVATIONislandconservation.orgVisit source
- Reference 61CLIMATEBONDSclimatebonds.netVisit source
- Reference 62BUTTERFLY-CONSERVATIONbutterfly-conservation.orgVisit source
- Reference 63THEOCEANCLEANUPtheoceancleanup.comVisit source
- Reference 64EOWILSONFOUNDATIONeowilsonfoundation.orgVisit source