We joke about the the end of world, imagining attacks from zombies, aliens and robots. But the truth is, we don't need help from any fantastical creatures. Scientists believe we are currently in the midst of a 'mass extinction event,' which is exactly what it sounds like: "the extinction of a large number of species within a relatively short period of geological time, due to factors such as a catastrophic global event or widespread environmental change that occurs too rapidly for most species to adapt."
So far, there have have been five mass extinction events: The Ordovician-Silurian (439 million years ago), The Late Devonian (364 million years ago), The Permian (251 million years ago), ,The Triassic-Jurassic (199-214 million years ago), and finally, The Cretaceous-Tertiary (65 million years ago). If mass extinctions were Baldwin brothers, that would be Alec, because it's the most famous. That the one's that wiped out all of our beloved dinosaurs (at least, until that crazy old dude brought them back from mosquito DNA at Jurassic Park). However, all five of these mass extinctions were absolutely devastating, wiping out 76% to 96% of all life on Earth.
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Scientists believe we are currently undergoing the sixth mass extinction event. In recent decades, 50% of the animals on Earth have been wiped out. Isn't that crazy? According to a 2017 study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, billions of animal populations have been totally lost - and they don't just mean endangered species.Their research shows the rate of extinction is rapidly increasing and that human development has significantly affected the ranges of unprotected animals. They describe this massive loss as a "biological annihilation" and a "frightening assault on the foundations of human civilization." (I know, I want to stop reading about this and go watch stupid cat videos right now, too.)
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"It's very sobering," said Dominic Waughray, the Director and Head of Environmental Initiatives at the World Economic Forum. "Consider this statistic, those born since 2012 have inherited a planet with fewer than half the number of animals, on land and those underwater, than those born before 1970. Startling, it's the sixth great extinction, scientists are calling it. The trouble is it's not just a moral issue, but there are really serious natural systems that could be under threat if we wipe out so many species."
So, is there anything we can do remedy this problem, or should we just ditch this "sh-thole planet" and
move to Mars? Obviously, we should become more environmentally conscious, combatting the destructive effects of man-made climate change, and do whatever can to save more animal species (even if that means a
worldwide ban on glitter). Meanwhile, Waughray advocates for mapping Earth's genome, which means analyzing the DNA of every living organism on the planet. (Yeah, but come on, how long will that take? Ten minutes? Fifteen minutes? Come on, Waughray, let's think a little bigger.)
If there's one thing we should take away from this, it's that we're all on this planet together, and our actions have consequences. It's ridiculous how environmental issues have been distorted into partisan political issues - especially in America. I mean, currently we have a president who denies man-made climate change - and once described it as a "Chinese hoax" - despite a clear, overwhelming consensus from the scientific community. While only a year old, the Trump administration is
undoing decades of environmentalism for foolishly short-term, selfish financial reasons. Zombies, aliens and robots aren't nearly as scary as humans who don't "believe" in science.
