Up to 1 million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction, with alarming implications for human survival, according to a United Nations report released Monday. [Read the U.N. global report: Species extinction rate is accelerating]According to the report, more plants and animals are threatened with extinction now than any other period in human history. Global trade has introduced invasive species to countries with devastating effects, such as crop-destroying stink bugs and tree-killing emerald ash borer in the United States. As Mexican fisherman continue to poach shrimp and fish consumed in the United States, vaquitas occasionally show up dead in their fishing nets. “These plastics break apart in the ocean into microscopic particles [that are] consumed by fish, fish we now eat.”

Source: Washington Post May 06, 2019 11:05 UTC