What is terrible is that it is difficult for us humans to realize the harm degree of the sixth extinction. Most of these extinction activities are considered to be unrecorded, because the species was not discovered at the time of extinction, or no one has discovered their extinction.

to put it another way, perhaps the speed of species extinction is beyond our imagination, and we may not realize its threat, but it does exist. At present, the extinction rate of species is estimated to be 1 to 1 times that of natural background.

The sixth mass extinction includes the disappearance of large glacier animals. Since the end of the last ice age, large animals outside the African continent have not evolved with humans. It turns out that they are highly sensitive to the growth of new predators. Many animals gradually became extinct soon after early humans began to spread and hunt on the earth.

insects are dying out at a record rate. A study shows that about 4% of the world's insect species are decreasing. A study published earlier this year showed that the total number of all insects on the earth decreased by 2.5% every year. If this trend continues, there may be no insects on the earth at all by 2119.

Many people may think that it is a good thing that there are no insects in the world! But we need to realize that the extinction of insects will also affect plants accordingly.

For example, insects such as bees, aphids and other pollinators play a vital role in the production of fruits, vegetables and so on.

In addition, insects are food sources for many birds, fish and mammals, and some of them are food for human survival.

For example, the red-stalked sawfly was once widely distributed in parts of England, Wales and Scotland, but its population was estimated to have decreased by 42% between 198 and 213. Another recent study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated 353 species of wild bees in Britain and found that one third of the species experienced a great recession between 198 and 213.

The author of this study points out that the geographical range of bees and other species has decreased by 25%, with a net loss of about 11 species per square kilometer. The main reason is the decrease of pollination habitat. A recent report of the United Nations calculated that the decrease of wild bees and other pollinators is expected to lead to the loss of global crop production of $577 billion per year.

This extinction is not just about insects. In the past 5 years, more than 5 amphibian species in the world have been reduced, and 9 of them have become extinct. For example, the Panama golden frog, which lives in Panama, is endangered.

A recent study in the journal Science describes the spread of chytrid or chytrid, and how quickly it can destroy frogs, toads and other similar species around the world. The spread of fungal diseases by human beings is beyond its original scope, which is largely caused by the global wildlife trade.

According to the author of the study, the death of amphibians associated with chytrid indicates that a disease can cause the greatest loss of biodiversity. Another study published in Current Biology pointed out that amphibians (not just frogs) are one of the most threatened fauna, and it is estimated that at least 2, species are in danger of extinction.

Even the loss of a species may lead to the "domino effect" spreading in the whole ecosystem, leading to the collapse of the whole ecosystem. A 218 study published in Science Report predicts that scientists may underestimate how many species are easily extinct. Studies have shown that the loss of a species will cause a sudden transfer of the system, thus making more species disappear (this process is called * * * extinction).

for example, many plants or flowers cannot survive without dependent pollination media. In other words, species extinction is like a domino. Once it starts to fall, it will fall one by one.

A study of birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals in 215 concluded that the average extinction rate in the last century was 1 times higher than normal.

Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction, told National Geographic that 75% of animal species may become extinct in the lifetime of human beings.

In about 5 years, 1,7 species of amphibians, birds and mammals will face a higher risk of extinction due to the shrinking of their natural habitats.

The phrase "mass extinction" is usually associated with images of asteroid crashes, which led to the extinction of dinosaurs. After that impact, a meteorite about 1 kilometers wide caused a tsunami in the Atlantic Ocean, and caused earthquakes and landslides in today's American continent. Then the heat generated swept the world, and dinosaurs and 75% species on the earth became extinct.

although it may be hard for us to detect, or even hard to believe, another mass extinction event happened today, which is the sixth such event in the history of the earth. With the increase of ocean temperature, deforestation and climate change have caused an unprecedented decrease in the number of animal populations, which is destroying the global fauna in many ways.

These shocking extinction trends are driven by a key factor: human beings. According to a study in 214, the current extinction rate is 1 times that of human beings. Human actions are now threatening the extinct species in the world more than ever before.

This report evaluates the biodiversity of the earth. Due to human activities, hundreds of thousands of species of plants and animals are facing extinction, many of which are facing extinction within several decades. Other recent studies have reached a similar conclusion: a study in 217 found that animal species around the world are suffering from "biological extinction", and our current "biological extinction event" is progressing faster than most people think.

A study in 217 studied the animal population on the earth by examining 27,6 species of vertebrates, which is about half of the total we know. They found that more than 3% of the population was in decline.

Some species are facing complete extinction, while the local populations of other species are extinct in certain areas. This is still shocking because the study authors say that these local extinctions are "the prelude to species extinction".

according to the recent analysis, the sixth mass extinction on earth is accelerating. There are more than 5 endangered species, which may disappear within 2 years; Scientists say that without the destruction of nature by human beings, this loss rate would take thousands of years, and they warn that this may be the turning point of the extinction of civilization.

After analyzing and studying the Red List of Endangered Species of IUCN and the data of 29 terrestrial vertebrates compiled by the International Organization for the Protection of Birds. At present, it is determined that there are 515 animal populations in the world with a population of less than 1, of which about half are less than 25.

Endangered terrestrial vertebrates, the number of which is less than 1,, include Sumatra rhinoceros, Spanish chinemys reevesii and clown frog. Historical data of 77 of these species show that they have lost 94% of their population in the last century. In addition, in the last century, more than 4 species of vertebrates were extinct. In the normal evolution process, the average extinction time should be 1, years, which shows that human beings have an important impact on their survival.

At present, the most popular theory is that the extinction of species is closely related to human behavior. Although there is a theory that human predation affects species extinction, the decline of some species is directly related to human activities, and climate change may be the driving factor for the extinction of giant animals except human beings.

then let's look at the problem from another angle, from our own point of view. From the ecological point of view, human beings are considered as unprecedented "global super predators", and thousands of kinds of animals and plants can be our human food. As the name implies, super predator is the top of the food chain and has a global impact in the food chain.

But now, every land and every ocean has species extinction: there are many famous examples in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America and smaller islands. Generally speaking, the extinction of Holocene may be related to the impact of human beings on the environment. The Holocene extinction lasted until the 21st century. Meat, overfishing and ocean acidification, as well as the decrease of amphibian population, are more extensive evidence of the worldwide biodiversity reduction. Population growth and per capita consumption increase are considered to be the main reasons for this decline. In other words, the extinction of species is closely related to the trajectory of our human activities in a certain way.

The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in 219 issued by the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services holds that hundreds of thousands of plants and animals will face extinction within several decades due to human behavior.

In addition, species are links in the ecosystem, and as they disappear, the species that interact with them may also disappear. When a species becomes extinct, the earth's ability to maintain ecosystem services will be eroded to some extent. Humans need a relatively stable climate, fresh water flow, agricultural pest and disease vector control and crop pollination, which will be affected with the acceleration of the sixth mass extinction.

Professor Paul erich of Stanford University and one of the researchers said: "When humans destroy other creatures, they cut off their own hands and feet, in fact, they destroy a part of the life system that sustains us. The protection level of endangered species should be raised to a state of emergency. "

when the number of individuals in a species drops too low, its contribution to ecosystem functions and services becomes unimportant, its genetic variability and adaptability will be reduced, and its contribution to human beings may eventually die out.

an example of this includes overfishing sea otters, which are the main predators of sea urchins. In the Bering Strait, the surge of sea urchins has caused serious damage to kelp, leading to the extinction of manatees that feed on kelp.

The other is bison, which is the main species in North America. It is estimated that there were 3-6 million bison 2 years ago, but with the excessive demand for wild beef and cowhide and the invasion of their habitats, their numbers have been greatly reduced. By 1844, there were only 325 heads left. After that, with the protection of human beings, their number has recovered to 4,, and there are 5, captive bison. However, this species has not recovered its ecological function, and its habitat prairie has been largely destroyed.

In each extinction event, it often takes millions of years to recover the same number of species as before the extinction event. Therefore, it is estimated that 2% species will survive each extinction event. But today's extinction rate is hundreds of thousands of times faster than the "normal" extinction rate in the past tens of millions of years.

Both legal and illegal wildlife trade affects many endangered species, poses a threat to human health, is the main cause of species extinction, and is eroding our ecosystem.

Mark Wright, scientific director of the World Wide Fund for Nature, said: "Although mankind is facing the sixth extinction, there is still hope. If we stop devastating deforestation in countries like Brazil, we can start to change the curve of biodiversity loss and climate change. But we need the unity of all countries in the world to do this. "

human health and well-being depend on biodiversity. The recent Covid-19 pandemic is a dangerous example of disturbing and destroying the natural world. Scientists urge that the only way to solve the sixth mass extinction is to solve the population explosion, habitat destruction, wildlife trade, pollution and climate crisis quickly.

The window of opportunity can't be opened at all times. We should do what we can, or we will lose the opportunity to do so forever. If we continue to destroy the ecology and trade wildlife, more epidemics may break out in the future. The fate of mankind and most creatures will be seriously threatened from now on.

we know that in order to avoid the worst climate change, we need to control the global warming within a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius. To this end, the world must get rid of fossil fuels such as oil in this century, because burning fossil fuels and cutting down all kinds of forests are warming the atmosphere, which has caused trouble to all corners of nature. From mountains to oceans, coral reefs are gradually decreasing as the oceans become warmer and more acidic. We know that this is a high demand, but we can make use of existing technologies such as wind energy, solar energy and nuclear energy to do it.

At present, only 15% of the world's land and 4% of the oceans are free from human invasion. People have used nearly 4% of the world's land to raise livestock, a large part of which is used to raise cattle. Eating less meat or vegetarian food will take up less land.

population reduction and family planning is another way. It sounds cruel, but more people mean more food, more land and more resources. Erich from Stanford University said that population growth is one of the main driving forces of the global extinction crisis. According to the United Nations, the population in 198 was about 4 billion. At present, it is 7.5 billion, and it will quickly reach 9.7 billion by 25.

Of course, everyone should have ways to protect endangered species. For example, plastics are filling the oceans of the world. According to the World Economic Forum, the garbage from a plastic garbage truck is dumped into the ocean every minute. Some researchers predict that by 25, plastics in the ocean will weigh more than fish. Therefore, reducing the use of plastic products is also an effective way of protection.

All kinds of things show that species extinction is real, and it will happen right before our eyes, and it will be an unprecedented disaster, not only for animals and plants, but also for us. If there is a fact that is the basis of all this, then maybe it is this fact: we are no longer connected with nature.

Our human span may be very short, and problems such as extinction and climate change have lasted for decades, hundreds or even thousands of years. What we're doing now