Why We’re in the Sixth Great Extinction and What It Means to Humanity

doi:10.1017/9781108668675.012

9 - Why We’re in the Sixth Great Extinction and What It Means to Humanity

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 August 2019

Partha S. Dasgupta and

Edited by

Peter Raven and

Partha Dasgupta: Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Peter Raven: Affiliation:
Missouri Botanical Garden
Anna McIvor: Affiliation:
University of Cambridge

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Summary

The annihilation of biological diversity is one of the most severe human-induced global environmental problems. Species and populations are being driven to extinction every year at so high a rate, that Earth’s assemblage of plants and animals is now well into a sixth mass extinction episode. The most recent Living Planet Index has estimated that wildlife abundance on the planet dropped by some 60 per cent between 1970 and 2012 (WWF, 2016). The richest biota the world has ever seen is disappearing in the blink of an eye from the perspective of geological time. And humanity is busily making it worse.

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Type: Chapter
Information: Biological Extinction
New Perspectives
, pp. 262 - 284

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108668675.012 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2019

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