Sixth Mass Extinction

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The ongoing destruction of Earth's species is proceeding at a rate ten times faster than any of the planet's previous mass extinctions.

Since 1970, 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been wiped out.[1]

Freshwater habitats have been the worst hit, with populations collapsed by 83%. South and central America is the worst affected region globally, experiencing an 89% collapse primarily due to deforestation. [2]

History

Previous Extinctions

Four out of five of Earth's previous mass extinctions were caused by runaway global warming, including the most devastating - the Permian mass extinction 250 million years ago. [3] Large emissions of carbon dioxide warmed global temperatures to the point that methane feedback loops were triggered, releasing vast amounts of the gas trapped in permafrost and the ocean seafloor. While the release of carbon dioxide was 'catastrophic,' the release of methane this triggered was 'apocalyptic' and was the 'ultimate source and cause' of the mass extinction.

Current Causes

Phyla

Mammals

83% of Earth's population of Mammals have been wiped out, with livestock and human beings dominating the remaining population (by biomass) at 60% and 36%, respectively. [4]

Insects

In 2019, the first global study of insect populations found that 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction, while the mass of insects has been declining by 2.5% a year for the last three decades.[5][6]

With 80% of insects already annihilated during this time, scientists warn that the ongoing loss of insects threatens the "catastrophic collapse of nature's ecosystem" and confirms that "the sixth major extinction event is profoundly impacting life forms on our planet."

The study found that the major causes of this collapse are habitat loss via conversion to intensive agriculture, agrichemical pesticides, and climate change.[7] Compliant politicians and policymakers who have fallen prey to lobbying pressure from culpable industries have played a significant role in enabling this catastrophic decline.[8]

  1. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/12/politicians-killing-insects-ecosystems
  2. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/30/humanity-wiped-out-animals-since-1970-major-report-finds
  3. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/earth-permian-mass-extinction-apocalypse-warning-climate-change-frozen-methane-a7648006.html
  4. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study
  5. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/12/politicians-killing-insects-ecosystems?fbclid=IwAR0vz6jQx3dAe7ApRGv9DTKo7NLSrIH6s1k_DjokvSmW_kVxPslq7mWtDok
  6. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature
  7. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718313636
  8. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/12/politicians-killing-insects-ecosystems
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