Lex X re-posted an interesting list he found, which I believe was originally published by the New Road Map Foundation. A copy posted by EcoFuture includes references and footnotes for the statistics.
The list seemed appropriate for the new year, thinking about where we are and how we can improve in the new year. I was surprised to see tallgrass prairie included in the list:
In the last 200 years the United States has lost:
- 50% of its wetlands
- 90% of its northwestern old-growth forests
- 99% of its tall grass prairie and
- up to 490 species of native plants and animals with another 9,000 now at risk
I think we should try to follow bad news with potential good news whenever possible, so here is a thought: what if we could fund the restoration of vast amounts of tallgrass prairie while helping to solve global warming and achieving energy independence based on a renewable, ecological system? I plan to post more on cellulosic ethanol in the near future.
Leave a Reply