India, March 31 -- At a time when wars, polarisation, and geopolitical uncertainty dominate public attention, a quieter but far more consequential crisis is unfolding. While headlines focus on borders and battle lines, the planet's life-support systems - the forests, rivers, wetlands, soils, and species that sustain human civilisation - are eroding at an alarming pace.

Scientific assessments leave little room for complacency. Average wildlife populations across the globe have declined by more than two-thirds since 1970. Nearly one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction within the coming decades. Over 70% of the Earth's ice-free land has already been altered by human activity. These are not distant environmental statis...