Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity, or the diversity of life on Earth, is a critical component of nature's resilience. If the environment changes and certain creatures can no longer flourish, others can take their place and perform crucial services in a biodiverse ecosystem. The most essential species for healthy ecosystems are frequently the ones that go unnoticed. Insects, for example, are critical for pollinating blooming plants; animal pollinators are responsible for a third of the food we consume. Habitat loss, invasive species, overexploitation (excessive hunting and fishing pressure), pollution, and climate change associated with global warming are the five key causes of biodiversity loss. Humans and their behaviors have a direct part in each situation.

Monarch butterflies help to keep our world healthy. They pollinate a variety of wildflowers while feasting on nectar. Birds, tiny mammals, and other insects rely on monarch butterflies as a food supply. Deforestation of wintering forests in Mexico, climate change-related migration disturbances, and the loss of native plants (especially milkweed species, but also all nectar-producing native plants) along their migratory pathways are all threats.

Suffocation, malnutrition, and drowning can occur when fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals become entangled in or eat plastic garbage. Every year, up to a million seabirds are killed by plastic garbage. Seabirds, like sea turtles, absorb plastic, which takes up space in their stomachs and can lead to hunger.

Poaching is the practice of illegally hunting, capturing, and killing wild animals. Poaching also includes behaviors such as killing a wild or protected species without a license, in an illegal way, while trespassing, or exceeding one's bag limit. Poaching can be stopped by: enacting harsh laws, poachers will be compelled to stop their operations if strict anti-poaching laws are enacted, observe endangered species, more rangers should be recruited and trained, endangered species should be segmented and inform the public about the dangers of poaching.

Along the creek, industries and commercial establishments continue to function. Newtown Creek has been polluted by a number of toxic sites along its path. Newtown Creek is one of the nation's most contaminated rivers, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, as a result of its industrial past, which includes several spills. Planting a living dock to promote marine life and marsh grass growth, using oysters and other filter feeders, such as mussels, EPA's aeration system to increase oxygen levels for fish survival, industry placement along the banks creates a real physical disconnect between the community and the water, so moving somewhere else would be preferable,

PCB's consist of hydrogen, chlorine, and carbon atoms. they can be found in plastics, electrical equipment, and oil used in motors. They cannot be broken down easily by the environment and cycle between air, snow and soil. 1.3 million pounds of PCBs dumped into the Hudson River by General Electric over the course of 30 years. 8,400 gallons of radioactively contaminated water leaked out of Indian Point and into the Hudson River in 1988, via a crack in a condenser. 200 miles of the Hudson River classified as a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA's proposal to clean up the river by dredging over 100,000 pounds of PCBs, the General Electric PCB Cleanup, using mulch and vegetation to protect soil from washing away, capturing water runoff with a rain garden and rain barrels, and alternative septic systems are just a few of the options.

Water Scarcity in Antigua and Barbuda

The existing water supply is being threatened by industrial operations because of water shortages at Antigua and Barbuda. Another problem arising from water scarcity on the island is deforestation. The island's main focus is on water management, St. John's principal city of the country has developed a waste disposal problem. Untreated wastewater from hotels at the resort travels across the land through open sewage lines and into the sea.