ABSTRACT
The words “crisis” and “emergency” are increasingly used by scientists and in the media to describe the state of our environment. The terms “ecological crisis” and “biodiversity crisis” are also now commonly used by conservation scientists and in the media. Evidence suggests that, in terms of all of these different meanings, we are in a state of environmental crisis, which includes the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Mounting evidence indicates that we are in a climate crisis. Although the climate crisis contributes to biodiversity loss, it is considered a separate, yet related, crisis. The biodiversity crisis will increasingly impact human societies. While many people overlook human dependency on other species, scientists continue to argue that at current rates we will alter the natural world in ways that threaten not only human well-being but also human existence.
