Study warns next mass extinction is imminent

[Compiled and published by New Sancai] A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences believes that the earth is experiencing the sixth mass extinction, and it is "dramatically accelerating."

According to the report published on Monday, researchers warn that animal species are going extinct 35 times faster than the average rate over the past million years.

Human impact has also been noted.

The researchers concluded that without human habitat destruction, illegal trade, and climate disturbance, it would take approximately 18,000 years for the animal species that have disappeared over the past 500 years to become extinct.

Gerardo. Gerardo Ceballos, director of the Center for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, said the loss of animal species could have consequences for humans.

Ceballos said: "The reason why there is life on earth is because of wild plants and animals and the ecosystems they form." He pointed out that it is this system that creates the sustainability of the atmosphere and allows humans to obtain food and medicine from it. .

"We are losing the planet's ability to sustain life, especially human life," he added.

Ceballos and his research team urge all sectors of society to immediately adopt political, economic and social planning on an unprecedented scale to prevent more lasting environmental damage.

Still, some scientists are skeptical that the current disaster amounts to a mass extinction.

“We don’t know how to identify a sixth mass extinction,” says Doris E., a conservation ecologist at Duke University. Duke Lecture Stewart. Professor Stuart Pimm told the media.

"When you say, well! How does the current situation on Earth compare to previous mass extinctions? That comparison is very difficult," the professor explained.

Most scientists believe that the last mass extinction occurred when an asteroid struck the Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs and giving rise to the current age of mammals, including humans.

(Compiled by: Li Mengzhen)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)