Nearly 60 percent of Europe-only trees face extinction threat: Report

An international conservation group is warning that more than half of the European tree species which are unique to Europe are under threat of extinction.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature said on Friday that 58% of Europe’s 265 endemic trees face an elevated risk of disappearing from the continent.

More than 150 experts contributed to the report, which the conservancy called “the first comprehensive assessment of the extinction threat for all types of trees native to Europe”.

The European Red List of Trees classified 37% of Europe’s 454 native tree species as “threatened.” Of those, 15% are “critically endangered,” a step away from extinction, the report said.

The findings come amid heightened concern about environmental issues and extinction risks in Europe and beyond. A UN report on biodiversity released in May warned that extinction looms for over 1 million species of plants and animals.

IUCN, a 71-year-old organization known for its “Red List” classification of threatened species, said that “invasive and problematic” species are the top threat to European trees, with urban development and “unsustainable logging” as other factors.

The group’s Europe director, Luc Bas, said “human-led activities” were resulting in population declines of important tree species.

Among the recommendations, the report’s authors called for the creation of protected areas, improved monitoring and increased research on the impact of climate change on forests and individual tree species.

The conservancy highlighted aesculus hippocastanum, or the horse chestnut tree, native to southeastern Europe. The polished brown ‘conker’ inside its spiked fruit “is perhaps more famous than the tree itself” because of its use in children’s playground games, the report said.

The species, present in Europe since before the last Ice Age, has been threatened by defoliation because of the leaf miner moth, and a blotch caused by a fungus, as well as by human pressures. It is endangered in Bulgaria and Greece and critically endangered in Albania.

Teen activist flays world leaders

The teen activist Greta Thunberg has urged Justin Trudeau and other world leaders to do more for the environment as she led half a million protesters in Montreal as part of a global wave of “climate strikes.”

The 16-year-old Swede met privately with the Canadian Prime Minister but later told a news conference with local indigenous leaders that he was “not doing enough” to curb greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

“My message to all the politicians around the world is the same. Just listen and act on the current best available science,” she said.

Thunberg generated headlines around the world earlier this week with her viral so-called “How Dare You?” speech at the UN climate summit, accusing world leaders of betraying her generation.

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The 16-year-old opened the UN Climate Action Summit with an angry condemnation of world leaders.

The teen has inspired millions of youths, drawn to her cause by her passion and a mature, committed rhetorical style that belies her young age.

She has also drawn mockery from some, including Donald Trump, who tweeted sarcastically that “she seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future”.

Without naming the US president, Thunberg said she didn’t “understand why grown-ups would choose to mock children and teenagers for just communicating and acting on the science when they could do something good instead”.

“We’ve become too loud for people to handle so people want to silence us … We should also take that as a compliment.”

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Trudeau and other Canadian party leaders took a breather from a tight election campaign to join Thunberg at the Montreal rally – along with around 500,000 protesters, according to organizers.

Walking with his wife and children, Trudeau mingled with a boisterous crowd that brandished placards reading “Respect Mother Earth” and “Make America Greta Again” – a riff on a campaign slogan popularized by Trump, a noted climate change skeptic.

One man was tackled by security when he appeared to lunge at the prime minister, while 13-year-old Annabelle Vellend broke out in tears when she spotted Thunberg, telling AFP: “I really believe in Greta’s movement.”

“She is doing amazing things and it’s great that she’s able to press politicians to act on climate change, during an election,” she said.

In his first term, Trudeau cast himself as a champion in the fight against global warming, but his green image was tarnished by his nationalization of an oil pipeline to salvage the construction project after years of delay.

The prime minister said after meeting Thunberg and pledging to fund the planting of 2bn trees: “I agree with her entirely. We need to do more.”

Earlier this week, the Liberal leader vowed that Canada would reach net-zero carbon emission by 2050, joining 66 other countries that have already signed on to the pledge.

Last Friday more than 4 million youths – and adults – rallied in “climate strikes” around the world.

Turnout at events a week on was smaller, but still vocal. In Italy, hundreds of thousands of young people took to the streets while an estimated 40,000 protested outside New Zealand’s parliament.

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In Canada, events also attracted huge crowds in the capital, Ottawa; in Toronto; and in several other cities.

In the heart of the giant Montreal march, made up mostly of children and a few adults, Alexanne Lessard stood out in her tree costume.

“I’m here for our future, to show our government that we, the majority, want to do something and that they can take big steps that will have an impact,” she said.

Daphnee Choquette said she came out for her baby girl, whom she carried with her.

“It’s too late for us [older people], but not for them. We need to bring about change now,” she said.

(Sources: AP, Guardian)

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