Environmentalists often talk about the tragic loss of animal and plant life because of the destruction of nature. A new study of UC Berkeley ecologists, led by Justin Brashares and published in Science, shows that the damage even leads to human tragedy. The study discovered a direct link between environmental degradation and child labor and slavery. As poor people lose their traditional livelihoods and sources of food supply based on natural resources and sources of food supply—fishing for example—they are forced to work as cheap laborers to make money. “As fish and fauna are wiped out, more children around the world are forced to work, and more people are forced into indentured servitude”,the scientists write.
Protection of wild life stops child labor and slavery
More of Today's Solutions
Kenya unlocks $160 million to protect the Maasai Mara and Tsavo ecosystems
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Kenya committed $160 million over ten years to protect 173,000 square kilometers (roughly 67,000 square miles, or 17.3 ...
Read MoreWill vinegar actually keep bugs out this fall? Pest experts explain what works
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM As temperatures drop, bugs start looking for the same thing you do: somewhere warmer. If you've been reaching ...
Read MoreStronger concrete, cleaner landfills—how scrap carpet fibers are reinventing ...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Concrete is the foundation of modern civilization, but its notorious tendency to crack isn’t just a construction headache—it’s ...
Read MoreHow sheep are powering the solar boom in a win for sustainability and agricul...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM On a sprawling solar farm in rural Texas, thousands of sheep are hard at work. Beneath rows of ...
Read More
