Since the birth of Planet Earth, it has almost vanished nearly five times due to different natural disasters. The Earth’s history is marked by several mass extinctions, each linked to situations where the planet’s biocapacity was pushed to its limits, resulting in catastrophic natural events or significant environmental changes. We call these incidents apocalypses, or most commonly “mass extinctions”. It all started around 445 million years ago, when the Earth was seized by an ice age and nearly 60% of marine species were lost and became extinct. This was just the start of a horrible future, and this event was named “Ordovician Silurian. This didn’t completely end the world; nature rebuilt its horizons, new species emerged, and things again got going normally for more than 80 million years, until Earth faced off another mass extinction that was triggered due to climate change, sea-level fluctuations, and anoxic events (oxygen depletion) around 375 million years ago. Approximately 75% of species, especially marine life, went extinct. This extinction was given the name “Late Devonian”.
It is believed that these incidents occurred naturally, and no major human involvement is considered. The second extinction was followed by another apocalypse, the “Permian Triassic,” which happened around 252 million years ago, mainly due to volcanic eruptions, climate change, and ocean anoxia. This is also known as “Great Dying” as 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species became extinct. The fourth extinction was caused soon after, 50 years later, mainly due to volcanic activity and a possible asteroid impact. This event was very sudden, as scientists believe that an asteroid hit the earth and approximately 50% of marine species, including many coral reef organisms, went extinct. This is known as Triassic Jurassic extinction. The last and fifth extinction happened around 66 million years ago when an asteroid hit near the Yucatán Peninsula, known as the Chicxulub impact, played a major role. About 75% of Earth’s species, including all non-avian dinosaurs, became extinct. This extinction is often associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs. This is known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction. These events led to the collapse of ecosystems and the extinction of numerous species.
Around 66 million years later, the planet Earth is heading towards another mass extinction, this time due to humans’ stubbornness. Referred to as the “sixth extinction,” the Holocene extinction is ongoing, and it stands as possibly the sixth mass extinction event in Earth’s 450-million-year history. Unlike previous extinctions caused by natural catastrophes, the Holocene extinction, which transpired over the past 10,000–11,000 years, is alarmingly serious and, once initiated, potentially irreversible. Human activities, driven by an escalating global population, pose a grave threat to ecosystems through overhunting, exploitation for resources like wool and leather, urbanization erasing green spaces, climate change, pollution, and various other detrimental practices.
Scientists have labeled the Holocene extinction as an Anthropocene extinction, emphasizing that human actions are the primary cause. Currently, 40% of all land has been converted for food production, with agriculture responsible for 90% of global deforestation and 70% of the planet’s freshwater use. The alteration of habitats due to unsustainable food production and consumption also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, escalating the threat of atmospheric temperature rise and its global consequences.
Projections indicate that by 2070, only six out of 19 winter Olympic host countries will be able to host the event, highlighting the impact of extreme heat and global warming. The Industrial Revolution marked a turning point, with a substantial increase in temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations. Notably, emissions growth, particularly from the mid-20th century onwards, has accelerated, reaching alarming levels. Depending on greenhouse gas emissions, temperatures could increase by up to 6°C by 2100. Source: IPCC (2013)
To understand the current environmental crisis, we must analyze two crucial metrics: “Humanity’s ecological footprint” and “Earth’s biocapacity.” Our ecological footprint encompasses what we extract from the Earth, the pollution we generate, and the harm inflicted on ecosystems—a measure of our profound impact on the planet. Recent statistics reveal that the top 20 companies, responsible for 35% of global energy-related carbon dioxide and methane emissions since 1965, play a substantial role in environmental degradation. Chevron, Exxon, BP, and Shell are major contributors, accounting for over 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. State-owned companies, such as Saudi Aramco, contribute an additional 20% to the global total. China leads the world in carbon dioxide emissions, contributing 32% of the global total in 2020, followed by the United States at 12.6%.
These grim statistics and scenarios suggest a catastrophic outcome within the next 30 to 50 years. Unlike previous extinctions driven by natural patterns, this impending disaster is the result of human greed and shortsightedness, especially among world leaders, particularly in the global north countries. The leaders of the Global South, though aware of the situation, find themselves overlooked, with superpowers paying little attention to the issue. The catastrophic consequences of climate change will spare no one, but the Global South is likely to be the most severely affected. Unfortunately, the Global North seems unlikely to proactively address the situation until they themselves become the primary victims of climate change—an eventuality that appears to be rapidly approaching. There is no major doubt that the sixth mass extinction is standing right in front of us, and this time not only marine and land species but also humans will become extinct.
- The Countdown to Sixth Extinction: An End to Planet Earth? - November 23, 2023
