Despite the fact that many are still not on board with manmade global warming, a new study has shown that humans are playing a significant role in the survival (or rather, lack thereof) of the earth’s species.
The fact that we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction is not new news. Previous scientific research has shown that wherever humans go, death seems to follow; we have a habit of destroying natural habitats by hunting, moving invasive species, and furthering climate change.
Yet some conservationists still hoped that the incredible rate of extinction was rooted in the natural evolution of species. Simon Stuart from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature shattered those hopes when he stated Monday that the line had been crossed. He said:
“Measuring the rate at which new species evolve is difficult, but there’s no question that the current extinction rates are faster than that; I think it’s inevitable.”
While formal calculations of the rate of extinction haven’t been published since 2004, it was evident — even then — that Earth was losing species 1,000 times faster than the natural rate — comparable to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
[Via: Telegraph]
Follow me on Twitter @sarahesterman
