The Sixth Mass Extinction: Humanity Must Act!

No species or virtue lasts forever; extinction is part of the evolution of life. However, at least five times, a biological catastrophe has swept the planet, resulting in the deaths of the vast majority of species both in water and on land within a relatively short geological period. The most famous of these mass extinction events, when an asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs and many other species, is also the most recent, and scientists say it will not be the last. Many researchers argue that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, which is not due to an asteroid the size of a city but rather to the overgrowth and transformative behavior of a single species: humans. Humans have destroyed the environment and unleashed a climate crisis, as calculations in a study conducted in September and published in the journal PNAS indicate that groups of related animal species are disappearing at a rate 35 percent higher than the rate typically expected. While every mass extinction has its winners and losers, there is no reason to assume that humans will be among the survivors in this case. In fact, co-author of the study, Gerardo Sepúlveda, believes the opposite could happen, with the sixth mass extinction transforming the entire biosphere, or the habitable area of the world, into a state in which humanity may be unable to continue unless dramatic action is taken. While the causes of the "big five" mass extinctions varied, understanding what happened during these dramatic chapters in Earth’s history and what emerged in the aftermath of these disasters can be useful.