Written in SCIENCE he
talk about a mass extinction It may sound like something out of science fiction. Unfortunately, reaching a sixth that puts human and wildlife survival at risk is a latent possibility that has worsened over time, but above all due to omissions and actions on the part of the people who inhabit the Land. But will we really be close to living that sixth mass extinction? The science reveals that it could be so.
Before going into details about how this event would occur, we will explain what is a mass extinction. It is defined as a brief period of geological time in which a high percentage of biodiversity and species that inhabit our planet at a certain time are extinguished. And although it is said that it is a short period, this can range from a couple of years to millions of them.
Around 65 million years ago the Land experienced his fifth mass extinction, which exterminated the dinosaurs, as well as much of the vegetation that existed at that time. And despite the fact that millions of years have passed from that moment to date, this does not mean that we are far from living the sixth mass extinction.
According to experts, this new period that anticipates drastic and serious changes on Earth would put dozens of species of flora and fauna at very serious risk, as well as human life and survival.
What is causing the sixth mass extinction and what consequences would it bring?
A study recently published in the journal Biological Reviews indicates that 48% of the populations of species of mammals, amphibians, birds, reptiles, fish and insects are declining significantly, while only 3% of the total are increasing.
Now, what is causing this new mass extinction? According to the same study, it indicates that human beings are responsible for the greater deterioration on Earth year after year and that now many species are on the verge of total and irreversible disappearance.
The way in which the human being damages the environment occurs through the destruction of wild landscapes for the construction of houses, buildings, roads and cities. But also climate change, caused by people, is also a determining factor for the sixth mass extinction occurs much faster and radically, causing irreparable damage.
The way in which the scientists reached this conclusion was thanks to an analysis of more than 70,000 species from around the world and thus determine if their populations had had more births, if the specimens had decreased or if they were maintained over time.
After this, they concluded that 48% of the species analyzed were declining significantly and that only 3% of the total analyzed had increased the number of specimens, figures that do not predict anything encouraging or positive about this new mass extinction.
According to the study published this Monday in the journal Biological Reviews, 48% of the populations of these species are declining and less than 3% are increasing.
For several years the UN has made a categorization of species with the aim of keeping a record that accounts for the species that remain and how many copies there are of each one, which is in charge of the International Union for Conservation of Nature . Using this data, the scientists found that 28% of species are in the “threatened” category. extinction“.
How will you see the sixth mass extinction It is something that could happen in less time than expected and where the human is involved.
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