Page 12 - Aruba-today-17 Sept 2020

A12 SCIENCE
Thursday 17 sepTember 2020
World isn't meeting biodiversity goals, U.N. report finds

By CHRISTINA LARSON and amphibians, reptiles and
SETH BORENSTEIN fish have declined, on av-
Associated Press erage, 68%, between 1970
A decade-long global ef- and 2016.
fort to save Earth's disap- "With pandemic deaths
pearing species and de- surging and wildfires rag-
clining ecosystems has ing across the entire West
mostly stumbled, with Coast, never have the con-
fragile habitats like coral sequences of our misuse
reefs and tropical forests and abuse of the natural
in more trouble than ever, world been more clear,"
researchers said in a report said Julia Baum, a biologist
Tuesday. at Canada's University of
In 2010, more than 150 Victoria who wasn't part of
countries agreed to goals the report.
to protect nature, but the As countries prepare to re-
new United Nations score- start their economies after
card found that the world combating the coronavi-
has largely failed to meet rus, there's an opportunity
20 different targets to safe- to do better — or much
guard species and ecosys- worse — for the planet,
tems. Cooper said.
Six of those 20 goals were In this Sept. 6, 2017 photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "Some countries are relax-
"partially achieved," and (NOAA), fish swim in a reef at Pearl and Hermes Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. ing environmental regula-
the rest were not. Associated Press tions, but others are invest-
If this were a school and ing in a green recovery," he
these were tests, the world The Associated Press, for- be done," Mrema said. "The report connects to biodi- said.
has flunked, said Elizabeth mer U.N. Secretary-General key is to get the political will versity loss. But Mrema and One of the challenges in
Maruma Mrema, executive Ban Ki-Moon connected and the commitment." lead author David Cooper meeting global biodiver-
secretary of the U.N. Con- the problems to "a lack of Duke University ecologist said the world should think sity targets is a mismatch
vention on Biological Di- global partnership and po- Stuart Pimm, who was not about a different poster between countries with
versity, which released the litical leadership." He said involved in the new report, animal: humans. abundant natural assets
report. multilateralism has been said it's good that coun- "A lot of things civilizations — such as large tracts of in-
Inger Andersen, who leads under attack, citing the tries are getting together depend on are certainly tact tropical forests — and
the U.N. environment pro- United States' withdraw- to examine their biodiver- threatened," he said. those with money to en-
gram, called it a global fail- al from the Paris climate sity goals but some of the The report was originally force protections.
ure. change agreement as an targets are nebulous. Re- slated to be released at a "The biodiversity hotspots
"From COVID-19 to massive example. ducing "everything on the U.N. conference to set bio- tend to be in poorer coun-
wildfires, floods, melting The U.N. team and report planet to single scores" diversity targets for the next tries," and wealthy coun-
glaciers and unprecedent- authors said the study is not obscures the fact that the decade, but the event in tries need to be willing to
ed heat, our failure to meet meant to stoke despair, but picture may look different Kunming, China, was post- provide financial or practi-
the Aichi (biodiversity) tar- to galvanize governments in different places, he said. poned until next year due cal support to help other
gets — protect our our to take stronger actions For years, conservation ac- to the pandemic. nations, Cooper said.
home — has very real con- over the next decade to tivists have used the polar Last week, the World Wide Dalhousie University marine
sequences," Andersen said. protect the diversity of life. bear as a poster child for Fund for Nature released biologist Boris Worm, who

"We can no longer afford "Some progress has been species in trouble — espe- new research detailing also wasn't part of the re-
to cast nature to the side." made, but inadequate cially those threatened by how monitored popula- port, said the world is at a
In a Tuesday interview with progress. A lot still needs to climate change, which the tions of mammals, birds, crossroads.q

Bones to pick, for $8M: Stan the T rex goes up for auction

NEW YORK (AP) — He tion. "He is 37 feet long and ever discovered. Research-
weighed at least 7 tons one of the fiercest killing ers also marveled at how
and had eyes the size of machines that has ever the skull had large punc-
baseballs. His bite could roamed the earth," said ture wounds, speculating
have crushed a car. He James Hyslop, head of the that they were the result of
bore scars from fierce pre- auction house's science T. rex warfare.
historic battles. and natural history depart- The skeleton — being put
All this could be yours for as ment. up for sale by the Black Hills
much as $8 million. About 67 million years after Institute in South Dakota
The legend of the Tyranno- Stan did all that roaming — will remain on display
saurus rex nicknamed Stan and killing, his remains were through Oct. 21 at Christie's
is getting fresh life thanks discovered in 1987 by pa- flagship location at Rock-
to Christie's. The auction leontologist Stan Sacrison efeller Center. The auction
house put his bones on dis- in a geological area in the is set for Oct. 6.
play starting Wednesday Midwest known as the Cre- Hyslop assured potential
through floor-to-ceiling win- taceous Badlands. buyers that Stan "is being
Stan, one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex
fossil discovered, is on display, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, at Chris- dows at its midtown Man- The fossils became known offered with no reserve. So
tie's in New York. hattan gallery in advance for forming one of the most absolutely everyone has a
Associated Press of putting them up for auc- intact dinosaur skeletons shot at him."q