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Post by Dan Dare on Aug 4, 2023 15:58:34 GMT
Many scientists, environmentalists and Sir David Attenborough certainly believe so. They point to mounting evidence that species extinction caused by human activity is occuring on a scale approaching that of the other five Extinction Events that scientists have identified in pre-historic times.
The last such event occured at the end of the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago and resulted in the elimination of the dinosaurs, but that one is now believed to have had an extra-terrestrial cause. The present one, many say, is entirely 'home grown' in that it is being caused by factors local to Planet Earth, but not this time by hostile geological or climatic conditions. Many believe that AGW is a factor in parallel with man's unprecedented domination as the first global super-predator which has given him the power and ability to eliminate all other predators andto substitute his food animals for native megafauna on a global basis.
This is why some commentators are now referring to the Event as the Anthropogene Extinction.
David Attenborough put out a documentary on the topic in 2020 which created quite a stir at the time. Perhaps it's due for a re-showing.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2023 17:27:38 GMT
Also from Wikipedia.
In September 2013, Sir David Attenborough commented: "If I was earning my money by hewing coal I would be very glad indeed to stop. But I'm not. I'm swanning round the world looking at the most fabulously interesting things. Such good fortune."
Perhaps you should join XR Dan, they have views like this. Others don't.
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Post by Ripley on Aug 4, 2023 17:43:29 GMT
Vast percentages of species have been lost in all five mass extinctions. Mass extinctions are a normal periodical occurrence. Extinction Event Age(mya) Percentage of species lost Cause of extinctions End Ordovician 444 86% Intense glacial and interglacial periods created large swings in sea levels and moved shorelines dramatically. Tectonic uplift of the Appalachian mountains created lots of weathering, sequestration of CO2 and with it, changes in climate and ocean chemistry. Late Devonian 360 75% Rapid growth and diversification of land plants generated rapid and severe global cooling. End Permian 250 96% Intense volcanic activity in Siberia. This caused global warming. Elevated CO2 and sulphur (H2S) levels from volcanoes caused ocean acidification, acid rain, and other changes in ocean and land chemistry. End Triassic 200 80% Underwater volcanic activity in the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) caused global warming, and a dramatic change in chemistry composition in the oceans. End Cretaceous 65 76% Asteroid impact in Yucatán, Mexico. This caused global cataclysm and rapid cooling. Some changes may have already pre-dated this asteroid, with intense volcanic activity and tectonic uplift. ourworldindata.org/mass-extinctions |
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Post by Dan Dare on Aug 4, 2023 21:00:57 GMT
Vast percentages of species have been lost in all five mass extinctions. Mass extinctions are a normal periodical occurrence. That's true but this is the first one that is or may not be due to natural i.e.geological, climatic or extraterrestrial causes.
Until now no other species has been able to have such a negative effect on the planet's biodiversity simply as a function of its own activities. Even the dinosaurs which dominated the planet for for over 150 million years did not have that effect.
"Extinctions have occurred at over 1000 times the background extinction rate since 1900, and the rate is increasing. The mass extinction is a result of human activity, driven by population growth and overconsumption of the earth's natural resources. The 2019 global biodiversity assessment by IPBES asserts that out of an estimated 8 million species, 1 million plant and animal species are currently threatened with extinction. In late 2021, WWF Germany suggested that over a million species could go extinct within a decade in the "largest mass extinction event since the end of the dinosaur age."
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Post by Ripley on Aug 4, 2023 21:20:19 GMT
Vast percentages of species have been lost in all five mass extinctions. Mass extinctions are a normal periodical occurrence. That's true but this is the first one that is or may not be due to natural i.e.geological, climatic or extraterrestrial causes.
Until now no other species has been able to have such a negative effect on the planet's biodiversity simply as a function of its own activities. Even the dinosaurs which dominated the planet for for over 150 million years did not have that effect.
No doubt human enterprise has accelerated the natural processes. Of course, species come and go. New species arise after mass extinctions, (In 2020 alone, the California Academy of Sciences documented 213 new species), but the process takes time, and species are lost at a faster rate than new ones reappear, so when you look at the big picture, the writing is on the proverbial wall for us humans. |
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Post by steppenwolf on Aug 5, 2023 6:33:03 GMT
I think it's beyond any doubt that humans are causing the extinction of many species - mainly by removal of habitat. As I've said we've "repurposed" 75% of the land to support our huge increase in population. Africa is predicted to double its population by 2050. And we're now talking about mining the sea bed to provide the resources to build batteries for these useless BEVs - so we're destroying the seas environment before we even know much about it.
Also we've massively reduced the number of insects by creating monocultures and using pesticides. And we're turning large areas into landfill sites. It's a disaster and the only solution is cutting the population - but nobody is even talking about this any more. We need to start putting contraceptives in the water of various countries - starting with Pakistan.
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Post by Dan Dare on Aug 5, 2023 8:40:21 GMT
We're going to need to be quick about it then. According to the UN the population of Pakistan is projected to grow from 221 million in 2020 to 338 million in 2050, finally peaking at 404 million in the 2090s.
But even that's pretty shabby compared to Nigeria, projected to grow from 206 to 402 million by 2050, and then to 733 million of the end of the century.
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Post by zanygame on Aug 5, 2023 10:00:45 GMT
I'm always wary of claims of a million species going extinct. I'm reminded that there are over 100,000 of true flies alone. ![]() And 400,000 different beetles, 25,000 worm, 20,000 bee, 15,000 ant species Without touching sea creatures. That said I do think we need to reduce our global population and use science to better use smaller areas to grow our food. Re-wilding is a big thing among us eco zealots today. Doesn't get much of a mention. But farmers owning poor growing soil areas across Europe are being encouraged to allow them to re-wild. |
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Post by Bentley on Aug 5, 2023 10:10:35 GMT
Europeans racing( despite the economical consequences)for net zero while others use fossil fuels with impunity.
White people reproducing less while Africans and Asians breed like rabbits .
More like the great white human extinction.
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Post by Dan Dare on Aug 5, 2023 10:20:20 GMT
The consensus figure appears to be 8.7 million species in total (land and water), +/- 1.3 million.
With regard to land usage I don't believe there is much usable land that is not already being put to human use. Attenborough states that 75% of the land area that is not permanently covered in ice is currently in use.
Wild megafauna that remain following habitat loss to livestock are now only to be found in zoos or in fenced compounds like safari parks under armed guard.
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Post by Dan Dare on Aug 5, 2023 10:25:36 GMT
Again, per the UN, the population of Europe will fall by 40 million by 2050, even allowing for continuing inward migration at current levels, while that of Afro-Asia will increase by 1.9 billion.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2023 10:49:24 GMT
I read somewhere - I think it might have been in the New Scientist magazine - that some 90% of all land animals today are entirely dependent upon human beings, either as pets or on farms. This is a staggering statistic and if accurate demonstrates the extent to which we as a species have warped and perverted the natural evolution of other species and bent them to our own needs and wants. The rest of life on this planet is increasingly being forced into niches that serve us, or is otherwise dying out.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2023 10:52:15 GMT
Europeans racing( despite the economical consequences)for net zero while others use fossil fuels with impunity. White people reproducing less while Africans and Asians breed like rabbits . More like the great white human extinction. So a thread about the extinction of animals suddenly becomes one about too many black people and not enough white ones, as if skin colour matters. As it surely does only to a racist. Yes there are too many people on this planet, but their skin colour is wholly irrelevant. |
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Post by sandypine on Aug 5, 2023 10:55:54 GMT
Vast percentages of species have been lost in all five mass extinctions. Mass extinctions are a normal periodical occurrence. That's true but this is the first one that is or may not be due to natural i.e.geological, climatic or extraterrestrial causes.
Until now no other species has been able to have such a negative effect on the planet's biodiversity simply as a function of its own activities. Even the dinosaurs which dominated the planet for for over 150 million years did not have that effect.
"Extinctions have occurred at over 1000 times the background extinction rate since 1900, and the rate is increasing. The mass extinction is a result of human activity, driven by population growth and overconsumption of the earth's natural resources. The 2019 global biodiversity assessment by IPBES asserts that out of an estimated 8 million species, 1 million plant and animal species are currently threatened with extinction. In late 2021, WWF Germany suggested that over a million species could go extinct within a decade in the "largest mass extinction event since the end of the dinosaur age."
I think plants have had a major impact on the planet effectively using as much carbon dioxide as they could and spewing out the oxygen pollutant that was taken advantage of by creatures living on that pollution. |
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Post by sandypine on Aug 5, 2023 10:59:03 GMT
I read somewhere - I think it might have been in the New Scientist magazine - that some 90% of all land animals today are entirely dependent upon human beings, either as pets or on farms. This is a staggering statistic and if accurate demonstrates the extent to which we as a species have warped and perverted the natural evolution of other species and bent them to our own needs and wants. The rest of life on this planet is increasingly being forced into niches that serve us, or is otherwise dying out. That is the nature of evolution, many animals feed on or use other organisms or are fed on and used by other organisms. Any organism that can do that increases its own chance of survival. |
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