Our Earth s Sixth Mass Extinction - 1636 Words

Throughout the longevity of our Earth’s biota, there are recorded times in which the majority of the pre-living fauna and flora were seemingly decimated. According to our fossil record, these bouts of decimation have totaled to five individual instances throughout the existence of life on Earth. Many scientists agree in saying that, humans as species are the main cause for current sixth mass extinction. Some opponents to this theory claim that label of our worldwide ecological state as a ‘sixth mass extinction’, is just an â€Å"emotional charge that makes the problem seem cosmic and overwhelming† (Brand). This however is not a legitimate statement when taking into account the sheer magnitude of human involvement and activities that has added†¦show more content†¦Many would argue this feat to be a sign of Homo sapiens’ knack to survive, but in actuality we survived on the backs of other species (figuratively of course) while in the process o f wiping many of them out. One of the earliest instances of extinction caused by humans was from our ancestors about 12,000-20,000 years ago. When just coming into our prime as the lead predators of the Earth, humans began to have an impact on hundreds of the surrounding fauna indirectly it seems. According to radiocarbon dating of the fossils of â€Å"the two-meter tall flightless bird commonly known as the Great Moa, indicate that they became extinct soon after humans arrived.† (Avise 219) Though our ancestors had no notion of conservation or ecological awareness, humans as a species cannot displace the blame towards anything but to ourselves. Some believe that the many mega fauna (exceedingly large animals) that went extinct when humans first started to hunt more rapidly, due to population size growth, went extinct due to changes in climate not by human interference. This notion is completely farce. It has been proven through fossil records that the degree in climate chang e right before those species went extinct were very similar to the current amount of climate change now. This being said, we don’t see such a massive decline in the present mega fauna today as there seems to have been in the past. The statistics gained from Robert M. May’s â€Å"Extinction per Thousand of Species