Humanity's impact on the environment is arguably more detrimental than it has ever been beneficial. According to studies, the industrialization has depleted the earth's fossil fuel reserves, increased CO2 levels, increased levels of pollution, decreased biodiversity, tore a hole in the ozone layer, and increased the global average temperature.
However despite multiple scientific studies, a few international leaders remain skeptical about most environmental issues including global warming. Recently, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed that the problem of global warming is not real and has been manufactured.
"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive" explained Trump in a recent tweet.
Thankfully, a multinational team has recently spearheaded an assessment that would definitively illustrate the impact of mankind to the environment. The 124 country Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services or IPBES was set up in 2012 and has aimed to examine the effect a humanity on biodiversity.
In a recent meeting of the IPBES representatives it was agreed upon that the study would conduct research on comprehensive biodiversity ranging from the value of coral reef to the current state of rainforests and their impact on greenhouse gases. The study would take place in the space of three years and would be due in 2019.
"IPBES'S goal is to give policymakers and all of society a more complete understanding of how people and nature interact" explained Simon Ferrier from Australia's national science agency and a senior IPBES official.
The global assessment would be conducted with the leadership of British atmospheric Robert Watson which was recently elected as the OPBES chair. Watson previously served as the organizations vice chairman. He succeeded former IPBES chair person Zakri Abdul Hamid a science researcher, educator and diplomat from Malaysia.
