Many scientists believe we are now in the middle of a sixth mass extinction, this time cause entirely by anthropogenic factors – human activity. We are warming the atmosphere and oceans, acidifying the oceans, polluting the environment, overfishing, hunting some species to extinction, converting ecosystems to farmland and living space, and spreading invasive species. The evidence of a slow-rolling mass extinction seems to be obvious, but still there are those who question if it is really happening. That questioning ranges from healthy scientific skepticism to outright denial.
We need a new economy, one that’s in line with our needs and planet.
- Ordovician (444 million years ago; mya) – climate change caused by continental drift
- Devonian (360 mya) – volcanic eruptions
- Permian (250 mya) – unknown, could be asteroid strike, eruptions, climate change
- Triassic-Jurassic (200 mya) – volcanic activity
- KT (65 mya) – asteroid strike