Protecting biodiversity is no longer simply a matter of passing and enforcing endangered species laws and setting aside parks and preserves. It will also require slowing climate change, which will affect the polar bear and many other species

Question

Consider the above quote from the chapter, and comment on the implications of this statement as it applies to separate countries, and the world as a whole.

What will be an ideal response

Answer 1

Answers will vary. A possible answer would be:

The mechanisms for protecting biodiversity have been difficult enough for individual countries to accomplish. Even developed, affluent countries, such as the United States, have meager funding for enforcing endangered species laws and funding reserves. However, now that controlling climate change has become an issue in preserving biodiversity, the situation has become much more complex and more difficult because, among other things, it requires cooperation among nations. Solving the problem has switched from a national problem to an international problem.