Abby Shin

Personal reflections

I am lucky enough to be in my last year of my undergraduate degree. And while I am very grateful to be involved in an awesome program, an exciting thesis, and other interesting work, I have found myself stretched pretty thin this new year. I will also admit that the current state of the world has paralyzed me a little bit. This in itself is a privileged statement, as I am in a position where the numerous social and ecological tragedies occurring right now have not touched me directly. However I must admit that it has seemed simultaneously silly and overwhelming to select a blog post topic with the human rights atrocities happening all around us.

Social and ecological tragedy is intertwined

I am in no way comparing or equating human loss and suffering to environmental issues. I am rather reflecting on the inexplicable link between social injustice and ecological destruction, utilizing this to underline the importance of learning and global citizenship.

A world where profit, competition, and scarcity incentivizes the exploitation and depletion of human and environmental resources, and a world where critical planetary boundaries are not internalized by the economy, will inevitably result in obscene concentrations of wealth and power at the ultimate expense of the 99%, the air, the water, the land, and other species. There will always be ‘losers’ in a system created to serve winners. There will always be ecological destruction in a system created with no consideration for the finiteness of the natural world. Our environment suffers when we suffer, and vice versa.

I don’t want to look away. I want to live my life embodying a kind of global citizenship in which I am aware of my place in a world of complex, fragile systems. I never want to take anything for granted, and I want to leave a positive mark somewhere. If you are overwhelmed by the state of the world, I think the best thing you can do is make decisions guided by a framework of global citizenship. This doesn’t mean you have to drop everything and become 101% consumed in political advocacy. I think it just means that you recognize your agency as a person living on this planet, who is lucky enough to learn about the world around you and support positive change where you can.

Do you know about biodiversity? Start with wetlands!

Bit of a left turn here, but bear with me. My research is primarily about biodiversity conservation, and I was in a meeting recently where a professor brought up how little people know about biodiversity, despite it being just as pressing of a topic as climate change. So, in the spirit of education and worldliness, and inspired by World Wetlands Day (yesterday), I though I’d write a little about biodiversity.

Biodiversity (Biological diversity): The variety among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes which they are a part of. This includes the diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.

Essentially, biodiversity is a collective term for the number of species on Earth, the genetic diversity of species, the diversity of ecosystems, and the diversity of biomes. It is hugely broad, but straight forward at the same time. It’s the diversity of every biotic component of earth, often measured in terms of a specific geographic place. However the most important things to know about biodiversity are the (often unnoticed) ways it sustains our everyday lives. Including, but not limited to …

1. Biodiversity is our best natural defense against disease: Extinction and population declines cause instability and lowered resiliency to animal-borne (zoonotic) diseases within ecosystems. As human development increasingly overlaps with natural habitats, these diseases are also more easily spread.
2. Biodiversity is our strongest natural tool for adapting to and mitigating climate change: Healthy, well-functioning ecosystems absorb over half of all human emitted greenhouse gases. They are the first line of defense against climate change impacts such as flooding, heatwaves, extreme weather, fires, and yes, disease. Biodiversity loss exacerbates climate change, and vice versa.
3. Earth’s biodiversity holds incredible importance for medical and scientific research: A huge amount of modern medicines are derived from natural or bio-inspired products, and the vastness of biodiversity remains largely untapped with major potential for future scientific discoveries.
4. Biodiversity is essential to global food production: From soil microorganisms to insect and bird pollinators, the plants which filter our water, and all the complex food webs which support the species we consume, high levels of biodiversity are essential for human food systems.

Unfortunately, we are also going through historic biodiversity loss, in what some have deemed the Sixth Mass Extinction. This is an example of a hugely pressing issue which often goes unnoticed day to day. However, it is also an issue in which civil society can really make a difference. The other day, I was speaking with someone who has been in the conservation world for decades, and they emphasized that almost all of the conservation wins they had experienced were led by environmental organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada, or the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada, or Ducks Unlimited Canada. ENGOs like these are easy to support, be involved in, or simply learn from!

World Wetland Day

February 2nd is World Wetland Day, celebrating the adoption of the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Wetlands are essential for biodiversity, sequestering enormous amounts of carbon, preventing floods, purifying water, and housing wildlife.

Wetlands: Areas seasonally or permanently covered by shallow water. They include bogs, fens, marshes, swamps, and more!

Wetlands are incredible. If you told 18-year old me that one day I’d get excited about wetlands, I would laugh. But this is the type of perspective shift that accompanies the global citizen approach of learning about the systems around you. You’ll look at a wetland, recognize its biodiversity, and appreciate the services it provides. You’ll also see some super cool wildlife!

Ontario’s wetlands and biodiversity

Southern Ontario has last ~70% of its original wetlands, the GTA has lost around 90%. This is among the highest rates of loss ever recorded on Earth. While some of this is attributed to essential development, it is also due to short-sighted development policies and practices which ignore the value of wetlands and do not attempt to integrate them into planning. Ontario’s wetlands store 29 billion tonnes of carbon and Southern Ontario’s wetlands alone provide habitat for ~20% the province’s species at risk. These ecosystems signify the immense value of conserving biodiversity, and the unprecedented losses in biodiversity we’re experiencing globally. I would really encourage you to look into the amazing wetland work occurring in Ontario, it is a great gateway to learning about biodiversity conservation.

Final thoughts

More than anything, I wanted to reflect on the value of being aware of the socioecological fragility, beauty, and injustice that exists around us. I believe it is the first step in becoming the type of person who understands their place in the world and the impact they can make.

References/learn more

Convention on Biological Diversity. (2000). Sustaining Life on Earth.

Ducks Unlimited Canada. (2026). Impact Area: Wetlands.

Hernández Guzmán, D., Hernández García de Velazco, J. (2024). Global Citizenship: Towards a Concept for Participatory Environmental Protection. Global Society 38(2).

Ontario Nature. (2026). Wetlands are Biodiversity Support Systems.

United Nations Foundation. (2023). Biodiversity Explained: Facts, Myths, and the Race to Protect It.