Arguments for the Extinction
We, as humans, are the most significant contributor to this extinction (aside from climate change, but that can be argued as a human cause as well) through the destruction of natural habitats, the use of animal resources, and the elimination of competitive species. The constant need to expand not only our control of the world but also our population degrades and destroys the livelihood of the organisms around us. One scholar even says, “We are currently, in a systematic manner, exterminating all non-human living beings.” (Anne Larigauderie, IPBES executive secretary, 85). This mentality of us being ‘top of the food chain’ is a huge underlying cause of this extinction. I feel as if Mother Nature would be grateful if we adopted a more compassionate view of our purpose in this life. Unfortunately, this is not the case with human nature; as seen in our past, humans are naturally greedy and can be extremely cruel. Not only do we see ourselves as a dominant species, but we also see other creatures as inferior, lesser beings. Suppose we paid more attention to the issues outside of our lives and the political arena. In that case, an extinction such as this might not even be on our radar. That being said, more awareness being brought to this issue should be the first course of action. Some have even written statements declaring the extinction as accurate (one of these statements being titled World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity – A Second Notice, which was written by eight scholars and signed by over 15,000 more).
World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity – A Second Notice
World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice | BioScience | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
Arguments Against the Extinction
As a contemporary issue with many ties to the realm of politics, there are differing opinions on whether an actual mass extinction could be declared. Some scientists, such as Stuart Pimm, believe that this extinction is “something that hasn’t happened yet – we are on the edge of it.” Some scientists, such as paleontologist Doug Erwin, however, deny the current existence of the extinction and have even gone as far as to call it ‘junk science.’ Erwin’s stance forms the opinion that extinction is not upon us yet but rather that we are on the cusp of disaster. “I think that if we keep things up long enough, we’ll get to a mass extinction, but we’re not in a mass extinction yet, and I think that’s an optimistic discovery because that means we actually have time to avoid Armageddon” (Erwin 1).
Earth is Not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction, Peter Brannan (Interview with Dough Erwin)
Earth Is Not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction – The Atlantic
Mitigation
The mitigation process for the Holocene Extinction has been slow at best, although as we become more and more progressive, we try harder to solve the world’s problems. Still, I fear that not nearly enough is being done in terms of actual mitigation, although we have made some small steps to improve our environmental conscientiousness. For example, in 2015, the United States joined 194 other nations in the Paris Agreement (also known as the Paris Climate Accords) and promised to cut back on their greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, Agreements like this do little to mitigate the extinction, and some believe that the spread of information and awareness of the extinction is the best route. Researchers such as William J. Ripple have, with the help of many others, worked to compose publications warning the general public of the Holocene Extinction because there is so little being done to promote the mitigation of this extinction.
Paris Climate Agreement:
Paris Agreement English (unfccc.int)
