Are we in a 6th mass extinction?

Are we in a 6th mass extinction?

By: Michael Wilkinson

Throughout the geologic history of the Earth, there have been a multitude of different types of events. The most famous type of all is the mass extinction event. Due to various causes, most especially humanities impact on the Earth, we are going through an event, a mass extinction event. Though it is a bit different from the other events like this one. How is this event different from other extinction events that have happened in the past? Why is it different from other mass extinction events that have happened already?

The mass extinction we are in is different from others, in lots of different ways. From the type of extinction, to how long the extinction will take. The extinction is ongoing, so that rather than over a short period of time 70% of all life dies, that 70% of life will die out overtime. In the article, Mathematics Predicts a 6th mass extinction, Daniel Hoffman who was being interview said this: “This is not saying that disaster occurs the next day,” Rothman says. “It’s saying that, if left unchecked, the carbon cycle would move into a realm which would be no longer stable” If we were to reach that point, that is when we would be at the height of the mass extinction. The carbon cycle won’t reach its peak for a while though, as humanity will have to add a ton of carbon to the ocean, 300 gigatons, to be exact. Researcher Daniel Hoffman said in Mathematics Predicts a 6th mass extinction, that we wouldn’t reach that point until 2100. If the extinction event is so far away, then how come we are in a mass extinction event? Shouldn’t the mass extinction event start during 2100?

While we won’t hit the peak of the mass extinction event until 2100, the mass extinction event is still going on, rather than everyone dying almost instantly, it takes a long time for us all to die, so the extinction event is ongoing. In a study, the authors that had performed the study had said that the extinction event was ongoing. So, it will take a long time for the big results to show, but you can already see evidence in one place, when it comes to the event happening, in the world of animals. While in humans there hasn’t been any major population decreases, you can just look to the world of animals for evidence that we are in an extinction event. In the article: 6th mass extinction ‘the era of biological annihilation’ the author writes “Meanwhile, as this research shows, entire populations of other plants and animals are crashing, even if they're not yet on the brink of extinction. Some of these are well-known.” Couldn’t this all just be a coincidence, this could just be the effect that global warming has on the environment, and there is no extinction event that is going to happen?

Some people say that we aren’t in a sixth mass extinction event. That this isn’t like what happened millions of years ago, like in the Permian - Triassic Extinction event. The climate, they say- isn’t like the ones you would have seen earlier in the Earth’s history, the horrible skies the harsh air, that would have lasted, thousands, to maybe even millions of years. In the article, Paleo Expert: Earth is not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction, the author wrights: “By comparison, the hellscape of End-Permian mass extinction claimed upwards of 90 percent of all species on earth.” Saying that this is not like what other mass extinction events are like, that this is nothing like a mass extinction event. The thing about this mass extinction, is that it is different from other mass extinctions, it’s ongoing. We’re simply in the beginning of a new mass extinction event unlike ones that have happened before.

The effects of the mass extinction event are already showing. We are seeing the effects of pollution and other things that have taken a toll on the wildlife. Animals have been dying left and right these days, and it’s no better in places like the north pole, where the ice is melting and the climate is warming up, making it much harder for the wildlife up there to survive.

In the article, Sixth mass extinction: The era of 'biological annihilation' it is written that: “Their key findings: Nearly one-third of the 27,600 land-based mammal, bird, amphibian and reptile species studied are shrinking in terms of their numbers and territorial range. The researchers called that an "extremely high degree of population decay."” Meaning that almost ⅓ of the species on Earth are in decline right now. There is a lot to this mass extinction, like how it’s so special, why is all of this happening, how is it different, and where is the evidence of all of this happening?

Despite it being different from others, we are currently is a 6th mass extinction one that will be on the level of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, that killed the dinosaurs. The extinction is ongoing, and is different from other events, it will reach its peak in 2100, and it’s taking time for major results to show. But there is evidence to support this, the extinction rate of animals is climbing and it's going to be incredibly high by the time the extinction reaches its climax. The cause of the extinction is well known though, it’s that human are ruining the environment, and polluting the skies and water, which is devastating for the wildlife, and soon it will be dangerous for us.