Listen now (27 mins) | Listen Now It should go without stating "nature's contribution to people are vital to human existence." Nevertheless, this was the third line in the May 6th report by the UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). As the report notes, "70% of drugs used for cancer are natural or are synthetic products inspired by nature, four billion people reply primarily on natural medicines for their health and, among other examples, 70% of global food crops rely on animal pollination. "Nature underpins," the report states, "all dimension of human health." Duly noted, noted, the UN report goes on to detail at great length the fact nature is being "significantly altered by multiple human drives" including anthropogenic global warming that among other things is presently threatening approximately 25% of species of assessed animal and plant groups "suggesting that around 1 million species already fact extinction unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss." As of 2016 over 9% of 6,190 domesticated breeds of indigenous mammals used for food and agriculture had become extinct. (Despite the UN report's devastating findings and/or dire warning), the head of the Democratic Party (the only major party to recognize climate change), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did not bother to release a press release commenting on the IPBES report's findings.) One way to substantially mitigate nature's collapse are via natural climate solutions, largely reforestation. As it relates to greenhouse gas emissions, forests act as carbon sinks.