Biodiversitycounted, one species at a time.
Every ecosystem is a balance of numbers — population counts, probability trees, survival ratios. This is where students calculate what it takes to keep a species, and a system, alive.
Biodiversity means the variety of life on Earth — every species of plant, animal, fungus, and microorganism, and the relationships between them. Those relationships are what keep our food, water, and air working. This side covers what climate change and human activity are doing to living things and ecosystems — and why that matters to every person on the planet. The numbers are serious. The story isn't over.
Earth Has Millions of Species
Scientists estimate there are roughly 8.7 million species on Earth, and most of them haven't been formally identified yet. Much of what lives on this planet — especially in the ocean and in soil — is still unknown to science. Every species plays a role, and many of those roles won't be understood until they're gone.
One Heat Wave Killed a Billion Creatures
In June 2021, a heat dome settled over the Pacific Northwest, pushing temperatures to record highs for days. Along the coastline, marine animals — mussels, clams, sea stars — were exposed at low tide when temperatures spiked past what their bodies could survive. Over a billion of these creatures died within days.
1 Million Species at Risk
The most widely cited scientific estimate puts roughly one million species at risk of extinction from human-caused pressures. Climate change is only one of them — habitat loss, overfishing, pollution, and invasive species all play a role too, making already-stressed species more vulnerable to each other.
Half the World's Reefs Bleached
Coral bleaching happens when ocean temperatures rise too high for too long. Corals expel the algae that give them color and energy, turning white. If temperatures drop, coral can recover; if they stay elevated, it dies. Reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor but support about 25% of all marine species.
190 Nations Pledged 30% Protection
In December 2022, at the UN Biodiversity Conference, 190 nations agreed to protect 30% of the world's land and oceans by 2030. We are not starting from scratch — real international commitments already exist. The key is holding governments to the pledges they've already made publicly.
15 Billion Trees Cut Yearly
A 2015 global tree count study estimated that roughly 15 billion trees are lost every year. Forests are both habitat for huge numbers of species and a direct carbon sink. Reforestation programs and protected forest agreements work against this by limiting logging and replanting lost forest.
24 Billion Tons of Topsoil Lost Yearly
Topsoil is the thin, nutrient-packed layer where nearly all land-based plant life takes root, and it takes hundreds of years to form. An estimated 24 billion tons erode every year. No-till farming, cover crops, and contour plowing are already-proven ways to slow that loss.
87% of Plants Need Pollinators
About 87% of flowering plant species depend on animal pollinators — bees, butterflies, birds, bats — to reproduce, including many crops humans depend on. Pollinator populations respond well to habitat protection and reduced pesticide use, making this one of the more fixable pieces of the biodiversity picture.
A million species at risk is not a guarantee. It's where we're headed if current trends continue — and trends can change. The 30% protection pledge already exists. The science of what helps is already known. The path forward runs through the rest of the cube.