According to a report released this week by the World Wildlife Federation, the world’s wild tiger population has now dropped to approximately 3,200, a number which is shockingly down from an estimated 100,000 in 1900.

Diane Walkington, of WWF-UK, said the following in a statement “Without joined-up, global action right now, we are in serious danger of losing the species forever in many parts of Asia. If we lose the tiger, not only do we lose one of the world’s top predators, we will lose so much more. By safeguarding their habitats, we will protect hundreds of other species in the process.”

The WWF is calling on governments in countries where tigers are still found, countries including China, India and Bangladesh to follow up on their stated commitments to double tiger numbers by 2022.

The fat lady has sung for Vanity Fair’s Green Issue, which, in its three-year life has featured such megastars such as, Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna and the adorable Knut the polar bear.

A victim of the global financial crisis, Condé Nast, publisher of Vanity Fair, argues that the environment has become so integral to the news agenda that there is no longer a need for a dedicated issue.

“Vanity Fair remains committed to covering the environment, and we’ll spread our coverage throughout the year, instead of relegating the bulk of it to a specific issue” a spokeswoman says.

Some say the move is typical of what’s going on right now – that the environmental crises is taking a back seat to the financial one. With everyone focused on the economy, research firm TNS Media Intelligence reports that media coverage on environmental issues fell by 27 percent in 2008.

Colin Butfield, head of WWF campaigns said, “With so much else going on relating to the global financial crisis, we have been focusing on that of late. It is vital that green living is not treated as a trend that comes and goes, but that it becomes part of the way we live.”

Earth Hour is a campaign whose aim is provide the people with a global platform for a call to urgent action on climate change, according to the official Earth Hour Web site. The Earth Hour website states that this is an event to encourage people to turn off their lights for one hour in order to become more energy efficient.

The campaign is an initiative from the World Wildlife Fund, an organization dedicated to reducing pollution and protecting the world’s biological diversity. Carter Roberts, head of the World Wildlife Fund, said the global event was designed to “make a statement about our commitment to solve the climate change problem and symbolize the commitment that people will make throughout the rest of the year.”

How much electricity consumption does Earth Hour save? Toronto alone saved 2,347,600 kilowatts from participating in Earth Hour last year. Really, it doesn’t matter exactly how much energy was saved in that fraction of a day, because the whole point of the initiative was to get people thinking about energy conservation and to be more aware of ways to do it in an ongoing fashion. This is about changing peoples perspectives. The culture of rampant consumerism and careless waste of resources has zombified us all into (literal) energy suckers. Any hope for this planet lies in all of our abilities to start changing our day to day behaviors on a very deep and conscious level.

To truly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and take the mounting pressure off the impending consequences of global warming, is to immediately start a global regime that puts a cap and a price on climate pollution. Subsequently, the only way that will happen is if world leaders finally become convinced that climate change is an issue, perhaps the most important issue, that matters to people. An issue that is without question going to alter and destroy the way of life we’ve all become numbly accustomed to, and impart to the global population that we all need to change the way we live, buy and vote. The threats to the environment and the future of our planet needs to be thrust to the top of every political agenda in the world, and it needs to happen now.