Nature's Bailout

This week's Economist takes a look at how a poorer, hotter world will "bode ill for life’s infinite variety."

GREEN-MINDED folk of many shades came to Spain this month, to talk about the need to save from human recklessness as much as possible of nature’s bounty of genes, habitats and species. They brought bad tidings. Common birds are in decline across the world. Almost one in four species of mammals is in danger of extinction. If current trends continue until 2050, fisheries will be exhausted. As it is, deforestation costs the world more each year than the current financial crisis has cost in total, one economist argued.

While some of the language used might be hackneyed (I mean, who doesn't know that it's very In to be Green?), this article can serve, yes, as a reminder to Be Green, but, I think, as importantly, it can be used to leverage our understanding of how to implement an effective global response to a global crisis. Global financial institutions have demonstrated that they can work quickly and cooperatively to mitigate the effects of a major crisis. As this article points out, they might have to do it again, and they will have already had practice doing it.