Introduction

Unlike CO₂ alarmism, land clearing and pollution are real, fixable threats to nature. Since 1990, ~178 million hectares (~440 million acres) of forest have been lost, and polluted rivers harm species (FAO, 2020; UNEP, 2022). The Miocene’s thriving ecosystems (news15.htm) and today’s resilience (news16.htm) show nature adapts, but land-use and pollution hit harder than CO₂’s ~10-20% stress (a15.htm). I’ll detail these impacts, offer solutions, and contrast CO₂ hype, using clear data to focus on what we can solve.

Key Terms

Land-Use Change: Clearing forests or land for farms, harming species (FAO, 2020).

Pollution: Contamination, like mining runoff, damaging rivers and insects (UNEP, 2022).

Reforestation: Planting trees to restore forests, boosting species numbers (FAO, 2020).

Land-Use Impacts

Land clearing is a top threat. Since 1990, ~178 million hectares (~440 million acres) of forest—1.5 times the U.S.—have been lost to farming and logging (FAO, 2020). Farming covers ~38% of Earth’s land, putting ~50% of species at risk (IPBES, 2019; IUCN, 2023). Biodiversity—the number of differing species—is hard to count (~8.7M estimated, ~150,000 known, Mora et al., 2011), but land loss directly harms habitats. Unlike the Miocene’s lush forests, today’s land changes outpace CO₂’s effects, needing urgent fixes.

Pollution’s Harm

Pollution, like mining runoff, affects ~40% of watersheds, harming fish and plants (UNEP, 2022). Insect numbers drop ~30-50% in polluted areas, affecting food chains (UNEP, 2022). Unlike CO₂’s ~10-20% stress (NOAA, 2023), pollution directly kills species. The Miocene’s clean oceans supported vibrant reefs; today’s polluted waters challenge nature more than 420 ppm CO₂ (0.042%). Measuring biodiversity loss is tough due to unknown species counts, but pollution’s damage is clear and fixable.

Plato thinking.

Solutions We Can Act On

Reforestation can recover ~30-50% of lost forests, supporting species (FAO, 2020). Planting trees in degraded areas, like the Andes, boosts habitats. Sustainable farming—using ~10-20% less land—reduces species loss, as seen in precision agriculture (IPBES, 2019). Pollution control, like stricter mining rules, can cut river damage by ~50% (UNEP, 2022). These steps work, unlike CO₂-focused spending (~$1.3T/year, OECD, 2022), which overshadows biodiversity funding (~$150B/year). The Miocene’s resilience inspires practical fixes today.

CO₂’s Minor Role

CO₂ at 420 ppm (0.042%) adds ~10-20% stress, like coral bleaching, but land-use and pollution harm more (NOAA, 2023). CO₂ fertilization increases crop yields ~15-30% and expands northern forests, unlike land-use’s direct harm (Ainsworth & Long, 2005). Alarmists push CO₂ fixes costing ~$1.3T yearly, while biodiversity gets ~$150B (OECD, 2022). The Miocene thrived at 400-600 ppm CO₂; today’s milder climate isn’t a crisis. Land clearing (~178 million hectares lost) and pollution (~40% watersheds) are measurable, unlike subjective “biodiversity loss” claims (~8.7M species unknown). Focus on real solutions, not CO₂ hype.

Conclusion

Land clearing (~178 million hectares, ~440 million acres) and pollution (~40% watersheds) harm species more than CO₂’s ~10-20% stress at 420 ppm (0.042%). Solutions like reforestation, sustainable farming, and pollution control can fix these, unlike alarmist CO₂ hype. The Miocene and today’s resilience prove nature’s strength. My series (news15.htm, news16.htm, a15.htm) shows data over fear—act on what we can solve.

References

Reforestation or sustainable farming in action