Why This Matters

People and all living creatures on our planet are moving towards an uncertain future. Each of us and every living being from the tiniest ocean plankton and bacteria living in the soil to elephants and whales are connected and dependent on each other through a dynamic web of life. Our actions are undermining the foundation of the planet’s life support systems, hurtling us down a path of ever-increasing risk. As we fill in wetlands, plow up grasslands, and cut down forests to build scorching cities of asphalt and concrete filled with water-hungry lawns or expand the millions of acres of chemically intensive agriculture, the once rich and thriving ecosystems below and above ground are disappearing. Carbon and water are the glue that hold the web of life together. As these webs unravel, the carbon and moisture bound together by life in soil is lost to the atmosphere contributing to climate change, and runs off into rivers, estuaries, lakes and oceans, choking fish, plants, and corals.

As intact and functioning habitats dwindle, movement, a critical and natural part of existence at different scales for different creatures, is fraught with obstacles and impediments. Will a butterfly find enough nectar as it searches the landscape for patches of flowers? Can a bird find enough insects to feed its nestlings or survive its journey to a wintering ground? Where do we go as our homes are flooded or our farms don’t have enough water to grow food? How do we mend and repair the social fabric that is unraveling alongside the web of life?