Our planet is in critical condition. Unprecedented wildfires have burned across the wilderness of the Amazon, Australia and Indonesia, and could burn even bigger and hotter in the years to come. Animals are going extinct at a rate that is hundreds or thousands of times greater than the natural pace, fraying the fragile fabric of the ecosystems that sustain all life on Earth. Climate change is at a tipping point and already wreaking havoc on our health, our livelihoods, our homes, and our safety. And now we are in the midst of a global pandemic that has brought the world to a halt.
As we all reconcile with a new normal, Global Wildlife Conservation’s 2-part #ExtinctionEndsHere campaign, together with Sea Legacy, in association with Intersectional Environmentalist, calls on humankind to use its power not for destruction, but to reimagine and rebuild a healthier, vibrant planet, one where all life has the opportunity to thrive and where ecosystems are kept in careful balance. By retaining and restoring biodiversity — which dilutes viruses and other pathogens, and powers the forests that offer a natural solution to the climate crisis — we can together address the deeper sickness of our planet, according to GWC.
The first step? GWC encourages individuals to join health professionals, conservation organizations, celebrities and others in a global movement to call on our world’s governments to permanently end the commercial trade and sale in markets of wild terrestrial animals for consumption worldwide. The commercial trade of wild terrestrial animals gives pathogens that have evolved with animals the perfect opportunity to jump to new hosts— humans — and spread through a globalized population, as we’ve seen with COVID-19.
To learn more about the #ExtinctionEndsHere campaign and specific actions you can take to help build an extinction-free future, visit extinctionendshere.org.