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A "biological annihilation" of wildlife in recent decades means a sixth mass extinction in Earth's history is under way and is more severe than previously feared, according to research.
Scientists analysed both common and rare species and found billions of regional or local populations have been lost. They blame human overpopulation and overconsumption for the crisis and warn that it threatens the survival of human civilisation, with just a short window of time in which to act.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, eschews the normally sober tone of scientific papers and calls the massive loss of wildlife a "biological annihilation" that represents a "frightening assault on the foundations of human civilisation".
Prof Gerardo Ceballos, at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, who led the work, said:
"The situation has become so bad it would not be ethical not to use strong language."Previous studies have shown species are becoming extinct at a significantly faster rate than for millions of years before, but even so extinctions remain relatively rare giving the impression of a gradual loss of biodiversity. The new work instead takes a broader view, assessing many common species which are losing populations all over the world as their ranges shrink, but remain present elsewhere.
Comment: Are the current decreases in wildlife numbers a mass extinction caused by human overpopulation and overconsumption? Maybe those explanations are contributing factors but they are not the big story and certainly do not explain five former extinctions. Solar minimums, and/or the more intense periods of solar hibernation, are trackable periods of change in the TSI output from the sun and are consistently coincident with Earth's worst/strongest earthquakes, increased volcanism, global cooling and ice ages. The dramatically reduced energy output affects the Earth's overall temperature enough to alter weather dynamics and temperature zones, impact plant life and the animal kingdom. The next solar hibernation has, by noted climate change expert/author John L. Casey*, already begun. That the animal kingdom is affected by decreasing numbers is a reflection of these changes. With the sun in control, there's not much we can do about that. Humanity's dependency upon the plant and animal resources forebodes increasing problems in need of forethought and alternatives before they become critical.
*Dark Winter, How the Sun is Causing a 30-Year Cold Spell, and Upheaval! Why Catastrophic Earthquakes Will Soon Strike the United States