The Sixth Extinction

Maxwell Ries

If every nation in the world adopted a green, zero emission economy, one phenomena of environmental collapse would still exist, a massive worldwide loss in biodiversity. Birds, insects, and amphibians are currently experiencing a massive decline in both population levels and species variety. [1] A combination of habitat destruction, the transport of exotic pathogens via global trade routes, and the importation of invasive species is devastating local populations. [2]

Scientific American reported that local bird populations in the United States have dropped by twenty nine percent since 1970. Intensive agriculture and land development have resulted in large declines in available habitat and food. [3] The chytrid fungi has wiped out over ninety-one species of frogs in a thirty-year period. [4] Studies have found that nearly forty percent of insect species worldwide could be faced with extinction within the next decade. [5]

The population of these animal species is rapidly declining, but not as a result of releasing carbon into the atmosphere. When considering solutions to climate change, thinking simply in terms of emissions and warming is not sufficient. A growing human population requires housing, food, and infrastructure. The ability to maintain that way of life is reliant upon a global economic system that introduce invasive species and exotic pathogens into formerly isolated environments. Recognizing our role as environmental stewards and truly considering the environmental costs of a globalized and interconnected economy is paramount. Are we willing to sacrifice the local wildlife in order to feed and fuel our current way of life?

[1] Barnosky, Anthony D. “Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived?” Nature, 2011. (https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09678)

[2] Dirzo, Rodolfo. "Defaunation in the Anthropocene.” Nature, 2014. (DOI: 10.1126/science.1251817)

[3] Daley, Jim. “Silent Skies: Billions of North American Birds Have Vanished.” Scientific American, 2019. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/silent-skies-billions-of-north-american-birds-have-vanished/)

[4] Scheele, Ben C. “Amphibian Fungal Panzootic Causes Catastrophic and Ongoing Loss of Biodiversity.” Science, 2019. (DOI: 10.1126/science.aav0379)

[5] Sanchez–Bayo, Franciso. “Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers” Science Direct, 2019. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.01.020)