When I was in my teens, not long after dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I had a vivid nightmare one evening. I dreamt that I was a passenger, along with my mother and brothers, in a car being driven along an unfamiliar woodland road by my father. At some point in the drive, perhaps following some distraction, my father inadvertently left the road, and we found ourselves on a parallel path, unpaved, with a fence isolating our vehicle from the main road. Sensing danger, I urged my father to reverse course and return to the main road. But he offered blithe reassurances and drove on, even as we drifted further and further away from whence we had come. And then, abruptly, the path ended, and the car tumbled off a high cliff and fell to Earth. I awoke to the imagined sound of screaming and crashing.

The residue of this nightmare was that, in the face of impending danger, I could not rely upon those responsible for my well-being. I could not rely upon those so entrusted to use care, pay heed, and take appropriate action to ensure that my family and I remained safe and secure. What brings the memory of this nightmare alive more than 30 years later is a news item—not widely covered—published in The Guardian yesterday, entitled “Earth facing ‘catastrophic’ loss of species.� Here is an excerpt:

The Earth is on the brink of “major biodiversity crisis� fuelled by the steady destruction of ecosystems, a group of the world’s most distinguished scientists and policy experts warn today.

Nineteen leading specialists in the field of biodiversity, including Robert Watson, chief scientist at the World Bank, and Professor Georgina Mace, director of the Institute of Zoology, are calling for the urgent creation of a global body of scientists to offer advice and urge governments to halt what they call a potentially “catastrophic loss of species.�

Destruction of natural habitats and the effects of climate change are causing species to die out at 100 to 1,000 times faster than the natural rate, leading some scientists to warn we are facing the next mass extinction.

Nearly one-quarter of the world’s mammals, one-third of amphibians and more than one-tenth of bird species are threatened with extinction. Climate change alone is expected to force a further 15%- 37% of species to the brink of extinction within the next 50 years.

Writing in the journal Nature today, the experts from 13 nations urge for the new body, the international mechanism of scientific expertise on biodiversity (Imoseb), to be set up to force better biodiversity policies around the world.

“We are on the verge of a major biodiversity crisis. Virtually all aspects of diversity are in steep decline and a large number of populations and species are likely to become extinct this century. Despite this evidence, biodiversity is still consistently undervalued and given inadequate weight in both private and public decisions,â€? the authors say. more…

In short, an abyss yawns ahead, and we are traveling towards the edge, without adequate regard for the peril. And the country that is in the best position to show leadership and initiative in managing this “major biodiversity crisis�—that would be US—will no doubt respond blithely, treating the issue with the same respect accorded to global warming. Meanwhile, the cliff nears, and we are gathering speed. Wake me up, won’t you please?