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43 Austl. J. Leg. Phil. 107 (2018)
Ecological Vulnerability and the Devolution of Individual Autonomy

handle is hein.journals/ajlph43 and id is 115 raw text is: Ecological Vulnerability and the Devolution of Individual Autonomy KATIE WOOLASTONt I. Introduction We are currently in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. It is estimated that 58% of all species were lost forever between 1970 and 2012.1 A mass extinction event has the potential to have wide-ranging and catastrophic effects on all of humanity, large enough to rival the impacts of other drivers of global environmental destruction, such as climate change.2 Loss of biodiversity reduces the efficiency of ecosystems in producing the nutrients and biomasses that are not only essential for their continued existence, but also ours.3 These processes keep our air breathable, water drinkable, and the Earth liveable. Species decline is linked to a decrease in food security because of poor water cycling systems and soil fertility, pollination and seed dispersal, and less control of 'pest' species and diseases.4 Declining contributions to the functioning of ecosystems is also likely to increase the effects of climate change.5 Biodiversity loss is a concern to us all. We are all susceptible to these effects, including increased temperatures, less breathable air, and decreased food security. This susceptibility is our 'ecological vulnerability', and is inherently linked with our t PhD candidate, Griffith Law School, Australia, and Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. This article was the winner of the 2018 ASLP Essay Prize. My gratitude goes to Professor Jonathan Crowe and the other members of the Essay judging team for their comments and support of the article, as well as Professor Martha Fineman and all the members of the Vulnerability and the Human Condition Initiative, for their comments and feedback on an early presentation of this piece. Finally, my thanks go to the Editors for their helpful comments. 1 See World Wildlife Fund, Living Planet Report 2016; Risk and Resilience in a New Era (2016) WWF International, 4 <https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/living- planet-report-2016>, wherein Johan Rockstrom explains that the report is premised on the concept that we are now in the geological epoch of 'the Anthropocene', defined by the human impact on the planet. 2 Bradley J Cardinale et al, 'Biodiversity Loss and its Impact on Humanity' (2012) 486(7401) Nature 59, 61; David U Hooper et al, 'A Global Synthesis Reveals Biodiversity Loss as a Major Driver of Ecosystem Change' (2012) 486(7401) Nature 105, 105. 3 Cardinale et al, above n 2, 60. 4 WWF, above n 1, 50. 5 Ibid.

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