The Sixth Mass Extinction Event: An End and a Beginning

The sixth mass extinction event refers to the increasingly scary rate at which species around the globe are going extinct, dying, dead, never to be seen again. That’s right, animal species, especially large ocean dwellers like whales, sharks and giant clams are going extinct at an increasingly fast rate. Why is this important? Because if animals continue to die off at this increasingly fast rate, entire ecosystems will fail, which could lead to a domino effect, causing everything on the planet go extinct.

As far as what’s causing this mass die-off of animals, scientists mostly agree that humans are the main cause. Have a look at how quickly the rain forests are disappearing. When people cut down forest to grow crops and raise cows, we also destroy the habitats of species, not just one or two but thousands. When this happens, it starts what’s called a domino effect - when one falls, they all begin to fall.

The possible consequences are scary. Imagine if all the bees died off, no big deal right? Wrong! Bees help plants to pollinate and grow other plants like the kinds we eat for fruits and vegetables. Without bees, it would be very challenging to grow fruits and vegetables to feed the people. What happens if mosquitos and other bugs disappear, no big deal, right? Wrong! As much as most people dislike insects such as mosquitos, they are an important part of the food chain. If we say goodbye to the mosquitos, we may have to say goodbye to bats, birds and so on. You may not think much about bats, but they’re more important to than most people would imagine. In short, we humans need to do something about what’s happening to life on this planet, but what?

Personally, I don’t think it’s possible to completely stop this train of destruction that we humans are on. Just as there is a beginning, so too will there be an ending and ours is near. Does this mean that we’re all going to die? Of course not, but things are going to change. Just as the last mass extinction of the dinosaurs gave way to the rise of mammals, so too will this extinction give rise to  species. Specifically, we will not die, but we will change.