Under this simple heading The Guardian reports the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) announcement of the results of the most thorough planetary health check ever undertaken. IPBES issued a much-anticipated media release today, the headlines of which include:

• Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’
• Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’
• Current global response insufficient
• ‘Transformative changes’ needed to restore and protect nature
• Opposition from vested interests can be overcome for public good
• 1,000,000 species threatened with extinction

“Further Information on Key Issues from the Report” below the media release at the same URL is also worth reading for its compendium of facts and figures, some of which are truly shocking. The full six-chapter Report (including all data) is expected to exceed 1,500 pages and will be published later this year. However, the Summary for Policymakers, which is a more manageable 39 pages, can be downloaded from here.