Topic – Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
8) What do you understand by the term, “Great acceleration”. Discuss how it has impacted the wild fauna across the globe.(250 words)
Why this question
A recent report from WWF has highlighted the plight of our wild fauna. Their number has decreased drastically in the last few decades of the century all because of the great acceleration. Hence it is important to understand the term and how it has affected wildlife.
Directive word
Discuss- this is an all-encompassing directive which mandates us to write in detail about the key demand of the question. we also have to discuss about the related and important aspects of the question in order to bring out a complete picture of the issue in hand.
Key demand of the question.
The question wants us to write in detail about the meaning of the term, great acceleration. It then wants us to write in detail as to how it has impacted the wild fauna across the globe.
Structure of the answer
Introduction– Define great acceleration in a simple way. E.g It is the exponential growth over the last 50 years in the use of energy, water, timber, fish, food, fertiliser, pesticides, minerals, plastics — everything.”
Body-
- Discuss the great acceleration in detail. E.g The Great Acceleration refers to the most recent period of the Anthropology cene during which the rate of impact of human activity upon the Earth’s geology and ecosystems is increasing significantly. While the Anthropocene commenced with Industrial Revolution if not long before, the Great Acceleration begins in the 20th century with the acceleration rate dramatically increasing after the Second World War.This concept has been further extended to refer to the rate of change in technology and society as a whole etc.
- Discuss how it has impacted wild fauna across the globe. E.g From 1970 to 2014, 60% of all animals with a backbone — fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals — were wiped out by human appetites and activity, according WWF’s “Living Planet” report; For freshwater fauna, the decline in population over the 44 years monitored was a staggering 80%. Regionally, Latin America was hit hardest, seeing a nearly 90% loss of wildlife over the same period; Depending on which of Earth’s life forms are included, the current rate of species loss is 100 to 1,000 times higher than only a few hundred years ago; Back-to-back marine heatwaves have already wiped out up to half of the globe’s shallow-water reefs, which support a quarter of all marine life. etc.
Conclusion– based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue.
