Holocene Extinction
| “ | People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! | „ |
| ~ Greta Thunberg addressing society's complicity in the Holocene extinction during her speech at the United Nations. |
The Holocene extinction, also referred to as the Sixth extinction, the Sixth mass extinction or Anthropocene extinction, is an ongoing, man-made extinction. Though previous extinctions were the result of natural causes, this extinction is mostly brought on by human activity. Thought to have began during the early pleistocene, the extinction is said to not currently be as severe now as it will be in the future, at which point it will rival the permian-triassic mass extinction in severity. Some of its most notable victims (extinct and extant) include (but are not limited to) mammoths, mastodons, elephants, baleen whales, giraffes, saber tooth cats, big cats, ground sloths, and pandas. It has been stated by scientists that 1 million+ species are threatened with extinction by humanity.
Among the animal groups predicted to suffer heavy loss are amphibians, sharks, insects, and cephalopods (among others). Animal groups like these and more are critical for the functioning of ecosystems, and the maintaining of ecosystems/ecologies and biodiversity, and with their extinction comes the collapse of ecosystems. This extinction is considered villainy because it is being caused by humans (for the most part) and humanity is speeding up the natural processes even further than should be natural.
Causes of the extinction: edit
- Anthropocentrism/Human Supremacy
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Overhunting
- Overfishing
- Poaching
- Animal Trafficking/Wildlife Trade
- Climate Change/Global Warming
- Deforestation/Habitat Destruction
- Defaunation
- Pollution
- Animal Cruelty (depending on the species)