Growing up, all of us were accustomed to learning about the same exotic animals: elephants, orangutans, rhinos, leopards and more would fill the pages of our coloring books and grab our attention at the zoos. We took for granted that we would always get to see beautiful pictures of bees and lowland gorillas in our National Geographic magazines, because we don’t want to think about our world as being in danger, or ourselves as responsible for harmful acts. However, the reality of this situation could not be farther from this fantasy—in fact, we may be on the brink of the next big mass extinction.
According to CNN, Earth has seen five mass extinctions since the beginning of its creation, and we may be on the verge of a sixth. If this were to occur, as many as three-fourths of all species could die out: imagine looking out your window and ¾ of the animals you used to see every day being completely gone, forever. This incredible phenomenon has happened before, hundreds of millions of years ago, and is part of the natural lifespan of a planet like ours. However, this point in time is markedly different than others because species are going extinct 100 times higher than the normal rate—in other words, something is speeding up this process in a dangerous way.
Have you guessed what this something is? Unfortunately, the problem is something we cannot easily eliminate: ourselves. Humans have not exactly been kind to the planet they inhabit, and experts at CNN have identified 5 main outlets of our destruction. To begin, climate change has had a major impact on animal habitats: our burning of fossil fuels and chopping down of rainforests has majorly damaged a wide variety of environments, including coral reefs, which could disappear completely before midcentury if action is not taken. Another damaging habit is the conversion of massive surfaces, 37% of Earth’s total land surface, for agricultural purposes. This not only damages animal habitats, but usually involves the harmful spreading of pesticides and other unnatural chemicals. This ties in with another point, pollution: every year, 9 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean and nearly all seabirds are found to have plastic in their stomachs.
Wildlife poaching is also a major contributor to animal endangerment—wildlife trade is estimated between $91 and $258 billion per year and is in high demand in black markets around the globe. Over 144,000 elephants have gone missing between 2007 and 2014, and the numbers are only rising despite regulations criminalizing the act. Humans are also the cause of lesser known damages, such as the transfer of animal-affecting diseases throughout regions and across continents. Amphibians, such as frogs, are especially affected by disease and are dying in large numbers.
But is all hope lost? The answer depends on our willingness to take action. We have solutions at our fingertips—like renewable energy source—but we need to ensure their large scale implementation immediately or else it may be too late. For more information, visit CNN.com/Vanishing, or their interactive link here.
