One in four mammals facing extinction

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that an "extinction crisis" is under way with one in four mammals in danger of disappearing forever because of habitat loss, hunting and climate change.

Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions.

We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

Visit the Earth Charter, and take the pledge for a better planet.

Endangered Species Act

Thanks to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) -- the 1973 law that requires the federal government to protect endangered species and plan for their recovery -- iconic animals like the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon and the gray whale have rebounded to healthier numbers. It is one of the real success stories of the green movement.

If the Bush Administration has its way, however, those protections may soon be endangered themselves. This week, the White House proposed a sweeping regulatory overhaul of the ESA, virtually eliminating the independent scientific evaluation of the environmental impact of federal actions.

The administration has gone to great lengths to circumnavigate the clear language of the law by rigging the science (in many cases ignoring their own scientists), negotiating settlements favorable to industry and simply refusing to obey court orders. This time, however, the administration means to rewrite the law itself.

It's no secret the Bush administration, along with conservative Republican lawmakers and special-interest industries -- mining, logging and oil -- dislike environmental laws. Their interests should not outweigh our common public interest to preserve all life.

A loud public outcry is needed to halt the process. The president must not be allowed to achieve this dishonorable goal.

(To read more about biodiversity and it's importance to us all, visit E.O. Wilson's Biodiversity Foundation site. To see wonderful examples of life on our planet, visit Frans Lanting's site.)

Frans Lanting Photography

Click here for the Frans Lanting site.

This is a companion article to my previous post, regarding biodiversity.

Mr. Lanting shows us in beautiful style and with great skill and dedication why our responsibility to our neighbors is so important. We all share the same planet, but only we have the ability to destroy or preserve it.

Be warned, if you visit Mr. Lanting's site, allow a few hours to be amazed and awed -- and perhaps humbled by our responsibility.

Biodiversity loss could hurt medical research

Click here for the E.O. Wilson site

The world risks losing new medical treatments for osteoporosis, cancer and other human ailments if it does not act quickly to conserve the planet's biodiversity, a senior United Nations environmental official said Wednesday.

Earth's organisms offer a variety of naturally made chemical compounds with which scientists could develop new medicines, but are under threat of extinction.

We must understand how much we already depend on diversity of life to run our economies, our lives, but more importantly, what are we losing in terms of future potential.

The the work of more than 100 experts, its key authors based at Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, and it underscores what may be lost to human health when species go extinct.