SEATTLE, Washington — In movies there are asteroids, extraterrestrial invasions and nuclear holocausts. No matter how remote the possibility, we have little difficulty imagining the ways in which a mass extinction event might occur.
However, of all the cataclysmic and far-flung theories about the end of days, the simplest and most realistic cause isn’t on our cosmic periphery, it’s right before our eyes: the human appetite.
Over the last five hundred years (or so) of rapidly accelerating human development, we have irrevocably altered the Earth in the pursuit energy, space and food. We have leveled mountains, dammed rivers, depleted aquifers, clear-cut forests and contributed countless tons of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere.
To put it another way: scientists now believe we may be the cause of a sixth mass extinction—an extinction that is already underway.
Difficulties in the developing world
While these extinctions are occurring across the globe, they are particularly numerous in the developing world where rapid and unsustainable industrialization threatens to change the climate and destroy delicate ecosystems.
An independent research group known as Resources for the Future (RFF) cites poverty and population growth as two of the leading causes of environmental exploitation in developing nations. The rural poor especially are being driven by an economic system that rewards, however modestly, deforestation and conventional, western agriculture. These incentives in turn have lead to numerous extinctions.
RFF argues that if this trend is to be countered education and healthcare have to be policy priorities in poor countries with a wealth of natural resources and biodiversity. Without better health outcomes, in particular, sustainability is a goal that will remain out of reach.
A new book illuminates the problem
Elizabeth Kolbert’s new book, The Sixth Extinction, chronicles the history of widespread species loss and presents evidence for the mass extinction we are currently creating. She claims the losses we see now are only a portion of the glut we are likely to witness if nothing is done to control our appetites.
In researching this book Kolbert traveled across the globe, meeting scientists in the field who have been observing the startling changes in the environment over a relatively short amount of time. What they’ve found is the troubling consequences of human population growth and unsustainable environmental practices.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), “Humans annually absorb 42 percent of the Earth’s terrestrial net primary productivity, 30 percent of its marine net primary productivity, and 50 percent of its fresh water.”
So just how bad is it?
Harvard scientist Edward O. Wilson estimates that 30,000 species go extinct each year. Additionally the CBD claims that, “Worldwide, 12 percent of mammals, 12 percent of birds, 31 percent of reptiles, 30 percent of amphibians, and 37 percent of fish are threatened with extinction.”
It’s important to note that this process is thousands of years in the making. Human activity, since the days of hunter-gatherers, has driven numerous species to extinction. Couple our appetites with our exploding population, and the world’s resources begin to look scarce not just for other species, but for our own.
What can be done to prevent mass extinction?
Al Gore, in his review of The Sixth Extinction writes, “Our response to the mass extinction — as well as to the climate crisis — is still controlled by a hopelessly outdated view of our relationship to our environment.”
However, both Gore and Kolbert remain hopeful. They believe that even though we are capable of this devastating alteration of the Earth, we are also capable of mending it. In Gore’s estimation, this means angling toward sustainability and fast.
It’s hard to say, as with global warming, just how long it will be until humanity feels the true burden of its exploits. What experts do know, however, is that doing nothing will get us there sooner than later.
– Chase Colton
Sources: NPR, Washington Post, Center for Biological Diversity, New York Times, Resources for the Future
Photo: Straight