Europe’s Environment: Species Loss Threatens Our Livelihoods

On today’s report on Europe’s environment, Jutta Paulus, Greens/EFA spokesperson on environmental policy in the European Parliament, states:

“Europe is experiencing a silent mass extinction – one of the greatest threats to our economy, our homeland, and our security. In Germany alone, one quarter of all animal and plant species are already at risk of extinction. With every over-fertilized meadow, every dying forest, and every dried-up river, we are losing not only part of our natural heritage but also the very foundation of our food security.

Healthy forests, peatlands, and floodplains are more than romantic landscapes. They are our green fire brigade: retaining water, protecting us from droughts, wildfires, and floods. Those who destroy nature today risk tomorrow’s empty wells, parched fields, and soaring food prices. Protecting nature is not a luxury – it is disaster prevention, precaution, and, ultimately, homeland security.

Our citizens have a right to food security. But this right exists only if we safeguard the basis of agriculture: our natural environment. If pollinators disappear, fruit and vegetables will become unaffordable. Where forests die, water sources dry up. And already today, according to the European Environment Agency, only 9 percent of our waters in Germany remain in good ecological status. Without water, there is no life – it’s as simple, and as harsh, as that.

Intact ecosystems are our survival insurance: they provide clean air, drinking water, and fertile soils. Protecting species means securing not only biodiversity, but also our survival, our economic strength, and the future of generations to come. It is high time we recognize the protection of nature for what it truly is: a shield for our homeland and the very foundation of life for ourselves and our children.”