GEAB 124

Three times a year, the GEAB offers its readers a selection of ‘weak signals’ consisting of brief alerts in a variety of sectors (environment, finance, technology, geopolitics, etc.), revealing profound changes which together offer an ‘impressionist’ picture of the future. Here is our latest selection…

The White Rhinoceros

Its sad disappearance has come at a time when everyone is alert to the risks of ecological extinction and its consequences for humanity and at a time when all the understanding and technology at our disposal could be channelled towards the protection of this species. Yet, the last of the white rhinos has died… Straight away, we were told that it was the last Northern white rhino! Phew, not all the rhinos have disappeared, then! However, for the first time, the UN (IPBES) has presented a report on the global extinction of species. Without going further into the details of this report, in terms of numbers and projections, we note not only the extinction of 50% of birds and mammals in Africa by 2100, but also that there will be no more ‘wild’, edible fish stocks in Asia from 2048 on and that drinking water supplies are also running out. The study shows that this depletion will, of course, bring its share of ecological, economic and humanitarian catastrophes, with new waves of refugees fleeing drought, but also floods. The impact of climate protection and environmental policies and ecological education will remain very limited for as long as we fail to take into account wars, tanks and bombs, the report concludes[1].