Biodiversity is life.

Cheap, powerful energy is seductive. The promise of better living through consumption is a commercial slam dunk — almost impossible to resist. But thanks to the scientists and activists who challenged our blind dependency on fossil fuels, we now see growing momentum for fossil-free energy. It makes perfect sense: the sun powers all life on Earth, free of charge — so why not let it power our machines, too?

But what about life itself?
How do we make sure it keeps on ticking?

One answer would be to simply let nature be. But we live here too. We need to eat. We need materials to build with. We are planet-mates with biodiversity — and we need each other.

Our lives are not possible without other life. You may not feel much for a slimy earthworm — but they’re essential to food production. You may not give much thought to seagrass, but it serves as a nursery for fish. Oysters filter water. Frogs and bats control pests. And pollinators, of course, spread life across the planet every day.

All this life surrounds us — and lives inside us. Everything that makes you, your family, and your friends possible begins with our belonging to the living systems of this planet. The energy of life may come from the sun, but it’s biodiversity that, over billions of years, created the conditions for us to thrive: oxygen, water, food, shelter, belonging. All of this is now at risk — unless we begin to truly love and care for life in all its forms.