Here are 12 signs that the planet is in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, and why human activity is primarily to blame.
Insects are dying off at record rates. Roughly 40% of the world’s insect species are in decline.
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. found that the total mass of all insects on the planets is decreasing by 2.5% per year.
If that trend continues unabated, the Earth may You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. at all by 2119.
“In 10 years you will have a quarter less, in 50 years only half left, and in 100 years you will have none,” Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, a co-author of the study, You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
That’s You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. because insects like bees, butterflies, and other pollinators perform a crucial role in fruit, vegetable, and nut production. Plus, bugs are food sources for many birds, fish, and mammal species – some of which humans rely on for food.
Earth appears to be undergoing a process of “biological annihilation.” As much as half of the total number of animal individuals that once shared the Earth with humans are already gone.
A You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. looked at all animal populations across the planet (not just insects) by examining 27,600 vertebrate species – about half of the overall total that we know exist. They found that more than 30% of them are in decline.
Some species are facing total collapse, while certain local populations of others are going extinct in specific areas. That’s still cause for alarm since the study authors said these localized population extinctions are a “prelude to species extinctions.”
So even declines in animal populations that aren’t yet categorized as endangered is a worrisome sign.
More than 26,500 of the world’s species are threatened with extinction, and that number is expected to keep going up.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., more than 27% of all assessed species on the planet are threatened with extinction. Currently, 40% of the planet’s amphibians, 25% of its mammals, and 33% of its coral reefs are threatened.
The IUCN You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. that 99.9% of critically endangered species and 67% of endangered species will be lost within the next 100 years.
A 2015 study that examined bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal species concluded that the average rate of extinction over the last century is up to 100 times as high as normal.
Elizabeth Kolbert, author of the book “The Sixth Extinction,” You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. that the outlook from You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. is dire; it means 75% of animal species could be extinct within a few human lifetimes.
In roughly 50 years, 1,700 species of amphibians, birds, and mammals will face a higher risk of extinction because their natural habitats are shrinking.
By 2070, 1,700 species will lose 30% to 50% of their present habitat ranges thanks to human land use, You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. Specifically, 886 species of amphibians, 436 species of birds, and 376 species of mammals will be affected and consequently will be at more risk of extinction.
Logging and deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is of particular concern.
Every year, more than 18 million acres of forest disappear worldwide. That’s about 27 soccer fields’ worth every minute.
In addition to putting animals at risk, deforestation eliminates tree cover that helps absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Trees trap that gas, which contributes to global warming, so fewer trees means more CO2 in the atmosphere, which leads the planet to heat up.
In the next 50 years, humans will drive so many mammal species to extinction that Earth’s evolutionary diversity won’t recover for some 3 million years, one study said.
The scientists behind that You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., concluded that after that loss, our planet will need between 3 million and 5 million years in a best-case scenario to get back to the level of biodiversity we have on Earth today.
Returning the planet’s biodiversity to the state it was in You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Alien species are a major driver of species extinction.
An alien species is the term for any kind of animal, plant, fungus, or bacteria that isn’t native to an ecosystem. Some can be invasive, meaning they cause harm to the environment to which they’re introduced.
Many invasive alien species have been unintentionally spread by humans. People can carry alien species with them from one continent, country, or region to another when they travel. Shipments of goods and cargo between places can also contribute to a species’ spread.
Oceans are absorbing a lot of the excess heat trapped on Earth because of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That kills marine species and coral reefs.
The planet’s oceans absorb a whopping 93% of the extra heat that greenhouse gases trap in Earth’s atmosphere. Last year was You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., and scientists recently realized that oceans are heating up You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Higher ocean temperatures and acidification of the water cause corals to expel the algae living in their tissues and turn white, a process known as coral bleaching.
As a consequence, coral reefs – and the marine ecosystems they support – are dying. Around the world, about 50% of the You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. over the past 30 years.
Warming oceans also lead to sea-level rise. Rising waters are already impacting vulnerable species’ habitats.
Water, like most things, expands when it heats up – so warmer water takes up more space. Already, the present-day global sea level is 5 to 8 inches higher on average than it was in 1900
Warming oceans are also leading to unprecedented Arctic and Antarctic ice melt, which further contributes to sea-level rise. In the US, 17% of all threatened and endangered species are at risk because of rising seas.
The You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. nearly six times as fast as it did in the 1980s. Greenland’s ice is melting You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. than it was 16 years ago. It lost more than 400 billion tons of ice in 2012 alone.
In a worst-case scenario, You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. warmer waters could cause the glaciers that hold back Antarctica’s and Greenland’s ice sheets to collapse. That would send massive quantities of ice into the oceans, potentially leading to rapid sea-level rise around the world.
Sea-level rise because of climate change threatens 233 federally protected animal and plant species in 23 coastal states across the US
If “business as usual” continues regarding climate change, one in six species is on track to go extinct.
An You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. looked at over 130 studies about declining animal populations, and found that one in six species could disappear as the planet continues warming.
Flora and fauna from South America and Oceania are expected top be the hardest hit by climate change, while North American species would have the lowest risk.
There’s still some debate about whether we’re truly in the middle of a sixth extinction. But there is agreement that the extinctions we’re seeing now are our fault.
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
Insects are dying off at record rates. Roughly 40% of the world’s insect species are in decline.
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. found that the total mass of all insects on the planets is decreasing by 2.5% per year.
If that trend continues unabated, the Earth may You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. at all by 2119.
“In 10 years you will have a quarter less, in 50 years only half left, and in 100 years you will have none,” Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, a co-author of the study, You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
That’s You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. because insects like bees, butterflies, and other pollinators perform a crucial role in fruit, vegetable, and nut production. Plus, bugs are food sources for many birds, fish, and mammal species – some of which humans rely on for food.
Earth appears to be undergoing a process of “biological annihilation.” As much as half of the total number of animal individuals that once shared the Earth with humans are already gone.
A You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. looked at all animal populations across the planet (not just insects) by examining 27,600 vertebrate species – about half of the overall total that we know exist. They found that more than 30% of them are in decline.
Some species are facing total collapse, while certain local populations of others are going extinct in specific areas. That’s still cause for alarm since the study authors said these localized population extinctions are a “prelude to species extinctions.”
So even declines in animal populations that aren’t yet categorized as endangered is a worrisome sign.
More than 26,500 of the world’s species are threatened with extinction, and that number is expected to keep going up.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., more than 27% of all assessed species on the planet are threatened with extinction. Currently, 40% of the planet’s amphibians, 25% of its mammals, and 33% of its coral reefs are threatened.
The IUCN You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. that 99.9% of critically endangered species and 67% of endangered species will be lost within the next 100 years.
A 2015 study that examined bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal species concluded that the average rate of extinction over the last century is up to 100 times as high as normal.
Elizabeth Kolbert, author of the book “The Sixth Extinction,” You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. that the outlook from You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. is dire; it means 75% of animal species could be extinct within a few human lifetimes.
In roughly 50 years, 1,700 species of amphibians, birds, and mammals will face a higher risk of extinction because their natural habitats are shrinking.
By 2070, 1,700 species will lose 30% to 50% of their present habitat ranges thanks to human land use, You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. Specifically, 886 species of amphibians, 436 species of birds, and 376 species of mammals will be affected and consequently will be at more risk of extinction.
Logging and deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is of particular concern.
Every year, more than 18 million acres of forest disappear worldwide. That’s about 27 soccer fields’ worth every minute.
In addition to putting animals at risk, deforestation eliminates tree cover that helps absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Trees trap that gas, which contributes to global warming, so fewer trees means more CO2 in the atmosphere, which leads the planet to heat up.
In the next 50 years, humans will drive so many mammal species to extinction that Earth’s evolutionary diversity won’t recover for some 3 million years, one study said.
The scientists behind that You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., concluded that after that loss, our planet will need between 3 million and 5 million years in a best-case scenario to get back to the level of biodiversity we have on Earth today.
Returning the planet’s biodiversity to the state it was in You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Alien species are a major driver of species extinction.
An alien species is the term for any kind of animal, plant, fungus, or bacteria that isn’t native to an ecosystem. Some can be invasive, meaning they cause harm to the environment to which they’re introduced.
Many invasive alien species have been unintentionally spread by humans. People can carry alien species with them from one continent, country, or region to another when they travel. Shipments of goods and cargo between places can also contribute to a species’ spread.
Oceans are absorbing a lot of the excess heat trapped on Earth because of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That kills marine species and coral reefs.
The planet’s oceans absorb a whopping 93% of the extra heat that greenhouse gases trap in Earth’s atmosphere. Last year was You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., and scientists recently realized that oceans are heating up You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Higher ocean temperatures and acidification of the water cause corals to expel the algae living in their tissues and turn white, a process known as coral bleaching.
As a consequence, coral reefs – and the marine ecosystems they support – are dying. Around the world, about 50% of the You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. over the past 30 years.
Warming oceans also lead to sea-level rise. Rising waters are already impacting vulnerable species’ habitats.
Water, like most things, expands when it heats up – so warmer water takes up more space. Already, the present-day global sea level is 5 to 8 inches higher on average than it was in 1900
Warming oceans are also leading to unprecedented Arctic and Antarctic ice melt, which further contributes to sea-level rise. In the US, 17% of all threatened and endangered species are at risk because of rising seas.
The You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. nearly six times as fast as it did in the 1980s. Greenland’s ice is melting You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. than it was 16 years ago. It lost more than 400 billion tons of ice in 2012 alone.
In a worst-case scenario, You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. warmer waters could cause the glaciers that hold back Antarctica’s and Greenland’s ice sheets to collapse. That would send massive quantities of ice into the oceans, potentially leading to rapid sea-level rise around the world.
Sea-level rise because of climate change threatens 233 federally protected animal and plant species in 23 coastal states across the US
If “business as usual” continues regarding climate change, one in six species is on track to go extinct.
An You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. looked at over 130 studies about declining animal populations, and found that one in six species could disappear as the planet continues warming.
Flora and fauna from South America and Oceania are expected top be the hardest hit by climate change, while North American species would have the lowest risk.
There’s still some debate about whether we’re truly in the middle of a sixth extinction. But there is agreement that the extinctions we’re seeing now are our fault.
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
