Sir, – Your editorial "An SOS from nature" (September 12th) notes a fall of more than two-thirds in more than 20,000 populations of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles in the last 50 years.
In that time, the human population has gone from about 3.7 billion to 7.8 billion, and so far this year the net growth in our global population is 57 million.
We continue to expand and grow, but at a massive cost to other species.
So vast is the scale of human activity that we are changing the climate of the planet, heightening the chance of extreme weather events, and further imperilling habitats and vital resources.
We have to find a better way. There is every indication that the planet cannot sustain the pressure we are putting on the environment.
In a matter of decades, our species may face a dramatic reversal of fortune. We cannot wait until the crisis has overtaken us before we act. – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.