Our natural world is disappearing before our eyes. We have to save it | George Monbiot

The creatures we feared our grandchildren wouldn't see have vanished: it's happened faster than even pessimists predictedIt felt as disorienting as forgetting my pin number. I stared at the caterpillar, unable to attach a name to it. I don't think my mental powers are fading: I still possess an eerie capacity to recall facts and figures and memorise long screeds of text. This is a specific loss. As a child and young adult, I delighted in being able to identify almost any wild plant or animal. And now it has gone. This ability has shrivelled from disuse: I can no longer identify them because I can no longer find them. Related: A world without puffins? The uncertain fate of the much-loved seabirds Continue reading...