Are we living the sixth mass extiction?

Scientists suggest we are living the beginning of the sixth mass extinction.

Nowadays the number of species going extinct is increasing rapidly giving space to think that we are facing a massive extinction as those registered in the past.

First, it is important to understand what a mass extinction is. A mass extinction is described as a catastrophe caused by internal or external factors that affect the earth and provoke the disappearence of a great number of species.

The last mass extinction occured in our planet 66 million years ago, it killed the dinosaurs resulting in the development of new species such as mammals, from we make part of, and birds that now inhabit the earth. As we can see in the previous example, the extinctions that took place in our planet gave the opportunity to new ways of life that made it more diverse. Although, this last extinction was caused by an external factor, the impact of an asteroid, the previous mass extinctions have been caused by internal factors as are big changes of temperature and volcanic eruptions inside the earth's atmosphere.

Sudden and abrubt changes in our environment as well as climate change have given scientists proof that we are at the dawn of a new massive extinction. In her last book The Sixth Extinction, published in 2015, author Elizabeth Kolbert talks about the reasons why we are living the sixth mass extinction; according to Kolbert human activities such as deforestation, hunting, and overfishing are among the main reasons. As consequence of all these, we have the climate change resulting in the threatening up to a million species of plants and animals (75% of all the species in the world). Kolbert comments that among all these is species the most vulnerables are those who are endemic, since they can only subsist in a specific habitat that it is being destroyed by humans. In addition, natural disasters are happening more frequently and with more devasting consequences. Although, extinction is a natural process, humans are making this process to accelerate its course.

In an article called Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived? Scientists have concluded that if we continue in the same line without reducing the amount of species going extinct we could reach our extinction in approximately 240 to 540 years. Even when we can see it as a long distance, before reaching a point of massive extinction we will suffer as we are alredy doing the consequences of climate change that is killing us through natural disasters for which our specie is not yet prepared.


By: Citlally Mejia

Sources of information: 

What are mass extinctions, and what causes them?

Will humans survive the Sixth great extinction?

Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived?