The defining decade

Change has a way of happening right before our eyes, day after day, so apparent we would think nothing of it without further reflection and deeper consideration.

A few weeks ago, I found a baby bird sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. It didn’t move, hop or fly as I approached it. Worried a dog might find it next, I moved it with my jacket towards the grass where it could rest more out of sight then I did some quick research on my phone. I wanted to know what kind of bird it was, and what the next reasonable action might be. All of the wildlife hotlines and centers in Missouri were closed. Online, I read suggestions to leave it with its parents. In the event that it was in fact learning how to fly and had been pushed out of the nest, I should take care not to disturb one of nature’s most ancient processes. So, that’s what I did. I left the crying, shivering creature near what I guessed to be the tree where it’s mother lived since a robin had been circling the situation since I arrived. A few hours later, around midnight, I returned with a makeshift nest to keep it warm, and in the morning, I visited to find it still hadn’t moved. I had the sinking feeling then that this baby bird was in deeper trouble. I feared leaving it outside in the advancing heat, so I carried it home on the bed of my jacket under the shade of my palms to my air-conditioned home where I quickly connected with a passionate, volunteer wildlife specialist who asked me to text her a photo of the bird.

“That’s a robin,” she confirmed. “We’re full of baby robins here. Robins make their nests out of mud, and they can handle some rain, but not storm after storm after storm like we’ve had. Their nests fall a part with too much rain, and the babies fall out of the nest before they’re ready to fly.”

She said I could either drive it to her over an hour away near the airport, or take care of it myself. I chose to do the latter in the meantime while I considered the drive, but the poor thing died faster than I was able to provide it with proper care, and we buried it in the backyard with a prayer. 

A few weeks later, I had the opportunity to try again. My partner and I were out walking the neighborhood and found a mother duck with two ducklings closely trailing behind her back and forth on a busy section of road. We paused to make sure they crossed safely when a young man walking his dog turned around and approached us. 

“I think she lost her baby in the sewer,” he said. “She’s been circling it. I heard cries earlier. I think it’s down there.”

We paused, listening. Sure enough, we heard helpless cries floating up from somewhere beneath the sewer’s mouth. Without much deliberation, we lifted up three separate sewer tops including one on the opposite side of the road, and one by one, ventured down. At first, we found nothing and assumed the duckling had ventured to where humans can’t go. It felt shameful giving up so soon. Then, we heard cries coming from beneath the sewer on the other side of the street. There it was: in the middle of the tunnel connecting the sewers. We went down on opposite ends so as to catch it on either side, but only I (the female) was able to crawl inside the tunnel to meet it. I sort of sang-spoke to it the way I do with my niece. Then, I joked with the man down there with me that this would make a great Tik-Tok video. 

“Too bad I don’t have Tik-Tok,” I said. “Come here, angel!”

It ran the other direction, towards the kind man we’d met above ground until it decided to run my way instead. I caught it and then crawled backwards fifty feet or so on three limbs with the duckling positioned close against my chest. It was tricky business getting out of the sewer with one arm, but thrilling. It was such a beautiful, soft creature. Once above ground, we attempted to find the mother duck with no luck. The duckling cried for its mother.  

“There you go,” I said. “Call for her.”

After around a half hour, we finally heard two distinct quacks somewhere up the road. But where? We revisited the sewer in case the mother had returned, and sure enough, she had. We set the duckling down on the grass, and as they reunited, the mother duck looked at me. It was a long, steady stare, perhaps something like a thank you. 

I enjoy two themes of YouTube shorts: wildlife rescues and storms. Last night, in a matter of two minutes, I saw people in Florida filming an aligator halting traffic as it crossed the highway, a pony stuck in an old railroad track, a baby black bear out west with its head trapped in a plastic container, a coyote trapped on a fence, and a swan with its eggs in jeopardy. In each situation, the intervention of human beings was heroic. I’ve noticed in the past few years a trend of more and more people like myself, that is, everyday citizens on their way somewhere inside of a suburb or an urban area, witnessing wildlife which years ago we would have had to drive miles to see.

The increase in footage of animals desperate for human support points to a serious issue of our modern times. Around the world, wildlife are losing their habitats. Each year, tens of thousands of species face extinction, and habitat loss is the greatest threat. It’s no coincidence that we’re seeing more wild animals traversing our highways, backyards, and swimming pools seeking food, help, and altnernative places to live. Animal desperation is growing, and while we may find it “cute” to see, for example, an alligator waddling with a pair of swans across a “random” road, as these interactions increase, we’ll be forced to admit the terrible fate so many animals today face: habitat loss, starvation, and the threat of extinction.

Agricultural production is now the leading cause of habitat loss on earth and results in some eighty percent of global deforestation. Almost 70 percent of the land used in agricultural farming is for grazing livestock and growing animal feed. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), only around sixteen percent of global agricultural land is used to grow crops for human consumption.

While some argue that the estimates of current species extinction are untrustworthy, there can be no denying that extinction still remains a serious threat for a variety of animals, insects, fungi and plant-life. El Salvador lost 90 percent of its forests but only three out of its 508 bird species, and Puerto Rico lost 99 percent of its forests but only twelve percent of its bird species (Yale Environment 360, 2015). However, the loss of any species from deforestation is a loss worth grieving, and the long-term consequences of deforestation on species extinction remain to be seen. What’s clear is that there’s a relationship between deforestation and the loss of earth’s biodiversity as well as a relationship between the consumption of animal products which supports deforestation. Not to mention, just because a species does not go extinct today as a result of habitat loss, that neither magically absolves them of any endangered status in the future nor does it mean they don’t face real, difficult challenges now as they seek a new home. 

The endangerment of honey bees and bumblebees around the world issued a grave warning to many that all it takes is the loss of one or two species to destroy much of our food supply. Somewhere between 75 to 95 percent of all flowering plants on earth need help with pollination (Pollinator Partnership, 2024). This means thriving plant life requires pollinators like bees and butterflies whose numbers have dramatically declined since the 1970s. Pollinators help plants reproduce by carrying their pollen from plant to plant and transferring genetic materials (in case you needed a refresher). There’s simply no such justification for thinking “it’s only a few species going extinct, big deal”. Human beings and animals both will have to adjust to the current and future migrations of animals to come. As animals lose their habitats and seek new homes, the landscape of our cities, suburbs and towns will continue to change. 

I think about the animals living down by the creek behind our neighborhood today. Fortunately, they live here and not up north near Missouri’s Coldwater Creek where decades ago nuclear waste was dumped in a lazy “clean-up” after the world’s first atomic bomb was constructed. It’s now known as one of the most polluted waterways in the United States, and clean-up is expected to take up until 2038 assuming clean-up continues. “A federal study found elevated rates of breast, colon, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers as well as leukemia in the area. Childhood brain and nervous system cancer rates are also higher,” (Missouri Independent, 2023). In a way, the fate of animals is our fate. As animals flee their ancestral lands to find new homes, where will they go? Will they learn to share new spaces? Will we? 

Habitat destruction for an animal does not come from deforestation alone. As for the robins who’ve seen their nests destroyed as the frequency and intensity of storms has increased, they face the now tangible consequences of climate change predicted by scientists years ago. Climate change impacts all of us. Some scientists and ecologists have defined the 2020s as “the defining decade”, calling this decade the most critical period in human history as it will decide the fate of humanity on earth. The last time it was this hot on earth was over 125,000 years ago. 

Greenhouse gas emissions, which have increased dramatically over recent decades alongside deforestation, are the leading factor in climate change. The good news is that, for now, we have a chance at cooling the planet and preventing more irreversible effects. We have the chance to save a plethora of species from extinction, protect our food supply and water sources, and prevent further catastrophic events. By reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, we can effectively cool the planet. So, what causes greenhouse gases, and how can citizens around the globe help reduce these emissions?

First, we can plant more trees. The presence of trees supports the cooling of the planet in a variety of ways including carbon absorption since among other things, trees consume carbon dioxide. And by planting trees, we are simultaneously creating habitats. Keep in mind, it’s best to plant native trees species as native plants help native insects and other native species to thrive. If you’re unsure of what trees to plant, or where, consult local ecologists and environmental scientists.

Second, we can reduce the consumption of meat and dairy. “Raising livestock for human consumption generates nearly 15 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, which is greater than all the transportation emissions combined… Ending our meat and dairy production could pause the increase of greenhouse gas emissions for 30 years, a new study suggests. All we need to do is adapt to a plant-based food system,” (University of Colorado Boulder, 2022). By reducing, or eliminating altogether, our consumption of animal products, we can contribute to reducing both green house gas emissions and deforestation. 

Third, we can invest in alternative energy. 

Fourth, we can take public transportation more, and if we’re willing… fly less. 

I’ve heard people say “there’s nothing an individual can do”, and “we have to let our governments decide”, and while I agree that the greatest changes may come from the top levels of world governments, I passionately disagree with the cynicism embedded in the belief that an individual might as well not do their part to change the world. Some say the average individual influences 80,000 people in their lifetime. That means thirteen people have a combined influence as many as over one million people. If that doesn’t give you hope, remember that passivity in times of crisis is not a reasonable option even if it remains a choice.

Citations:

About pollinators. (2024, March 4). Pollinator.org. https://www.pollinator.org/pollinators#:~:text=Why%20are%20pollinators%20important%3F&text=Somewhere%20between%2075%25%20and%2095,and%20more%20than%201200%20crops

Animal adaptors: 6 species that are thriving alongside us. (n.d.). www.cbc.ca. https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/animal-adaptors-6-species-that-are-thriving-alongside-us

Animal production. AnimalProduction. (n.d.). https://www.fao.org/animal-production/en

Eisen, M. B., & Brown, P. O. (2022). Rapid global phaseout of animal agriculture has the potential to stabilize greenhouse gas levels for 30 years and offset 68 percent of CO2 emissions this century. PLOS Climate, 1(2), e0000010. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000010 

Food and Drink Report 2018-19. Waitrose & Partners, November 2018

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2024, March 18). Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. Can we bring it to an end? Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/global-deforestation-peak

Global extinction rates: Why do estimates vary so wildly? (n.d.). Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/global_extinction_rates_why_do_estimates_vary_so_wildly

Impact of habitat loss on species. (n.d.). WWF. https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/wildlife_practice/problems/habitat_loss_degradation/#:~:text=Habitat%20loss%20poses%20the%20greatest,other%20hallmarks%20of%20industrial%20development

It may be uncomfortable, but we need to talk about it: the animal. (2024, January 29). Environmental Center. https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2022/03/15/it-may-be-uncomfortable-we-need-talk-about-it-animal-agriculture-industry-and-zero-waste#:~:text=Raising%20livestock%20for%20human%20consumption,all%20the%20transportation%20emissions%20combined 

Kite, A. (n.d.). Records reveal 75 years of government downplaying, ignoring risks of St. Louis radioactive waste. Missouri Independent. https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/12/st-louis-radioactive-waste-records/#:~:text=A%20federal%20study%20found%20elevated,a%20rope%20into%20Coldwater%20Creek 

Meat and animal feed. (n.d.). https://www.globalagriculture.org/report-topics/meat-and-animal-feed.html#:~:text=Livestock%20is%20the%20world's%20largest,of%20the%20total%20agricultural%20land 

Plumer, B. (2014, December 16). How much of the world’s cropland is actually used to grow food? Vox. https://www.vox.com/2014/8/21/6053187/cropland-map-food-fuel-animal-feed 

Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. (2022, August 6). City raccoons are smarter than you think. https://www.skedaddlewildlife.com/location/ajax/blog/raccoons-are-smarter-than-you-think/#:~:text=York%20University%20psychologist%20Suzanne%20Macdonald,doors%20to%20garages%20and%20homes

Torrella, K. (2022, February 1). This is how much meat and dairy hurt the climate. Vox. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22905381/meat-dairy-eggs-climate-change-emissions-rewilding