It seems hard to believe, but we are facing our sixth mass extinction of both plants and animals and some argue that it is on a scale larger than the one seen of the dinosaurs. What is even more shocking is that unlike the extinction of the dinosaurs (caused by a meteor), we, the human species, are the culprit behind the sixth mass extinction on our planet.
Now, the process of extinction is not something that we should be bothered happening because it is a natural process that occurs on our Earth for many species - known as a "background" rate. However, a natural occurrence of extinction should be around one to five species a year, yet that is not what is happening now. Scientists have estimated that we are losing species at a rate of around 1,000 to 10,000 times the normal background rate. In fact, dozens of species go extinct every day! Where did we go from losing plants and animals to extinction naturally, to what it has become today? It is because human interaction are increasing in areas of the world not once habitable by humans.
An important thing to remember is that every action that we take as humans has a consequence for the whole planet, not just for ourselves. We need to understand that just because we are able to use the land to benefit ourselves, doesn't mean that we always should. The more that we expand into areas that were once void of human interaction, the more we will continue to disrupt the natural ecosystem of our planet and will only further the effects of the sixth mass extinction we are seeing and feeling.
For more information on the extinction crisis that is occurring, please click HERE.
Written By: Darius Brodeanu
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