Disclaimer: Articles written by Young Writers do not face as much editorial scrutiny as those written by high school students.
Over 99% of the animal species that have ever lived on Earth are extinct. Extinction is common in our ever-changing world. Most animals have had a hard time adapting to climate changes, which have happened several times over the history of our Earth, but something less common are mass extinctions.
A mass extinction is when millions of animals go extinct at the same time/within the same time period, usually due to the same cause. This has only happened five times on Earth, but scientists think we might be currently in the sixth mass extinction.
The most recent mass extinction that occurred was about 66 million years ago. With the first extinction happening around 440 million years ago, it’s pretty hard to unveil what caused these major events. That’s why there are many theories about what caused them, all of which are well thought out and scientifically possible.
The ThoughtCo article “5 Major Mass Extinctions” by Heather Scoville talks about the cause, damage and estimated time of each extinction. When talking about the Devonian Extinction, the second mass extinction to have ever taken place, Scoville writes, “Lack of oxygen in the oceans, quick cooling of air temperatures, volcanic eruptions and/or meteor strikes” under “Suspected Cause or Case,” exemplifying how unknown these phenomenons are.
There are usually many theories to what happened because of how long ago they occurred. However, four out of the five mass extinction events had carbon dioxide levels increasing or decreasing as a suspected cause. Carbon dioxide levels have been increasing for years, and it seems like it might come back to bite us soon.
In just the last 50 years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have gone up at an alarming rate of 25%. This is caused from burning fossil fuels, forest fires, the production of cement and much more. With these levels increasing, the temperature of the Earth is warming as we speak.
It may be a long process to make an alarming change, but we’re already seeing its effects. Animals have a hard time adapting to climate changes, which puts them in danger. Just the smallest change in temperatures for us is a big change for them.
Humans are currently the largest threat to animals. We take away their habitats to build, hunt them and take away their food sources. In past mass extinctions, animal extinction rates slowly increasing and carbon dioxide levels rising were starting signs of these deadly events.
But, if we are going through a sixth mass extinction, humans would most likely be hit the worst. Animals at the top of the food chain usually are the worst affected during these extinctions because their food sources run out.
This is why it is so important to do our part in these things. Protesting against companies that burn fossil fuels or use any other harmful product is something we all can do. It could be as simple as not buying from their company or telling your friends about the risk both humans and animals have been put in from these damaging gases.
If we are in the sixth mass extinction, the peak of it most likely won’t be for hundreds of years, but we could be at the start of one. For all we know, Earth is the only planet with life. If humans become extinct, we may never exist again, just like the millions of animals that went extinct in past mass extinctions. Protecting our Earth is one thing, but protecting the human race is another.
Article by Kaylee Tasin of Cabin John Middle School
Graphic by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School