3 ms·

Since human beings appeared, species extinction is 35 times faster

10 points by myshpa 3y ago

myshpa 3y ago
The authors, Prof Gerardo Ceballos and Prof Paul Ehrlich, have previously found that species are becoming extinct on a scale akin to the event that wiped out the dinosaurs, and warn that the loss is a threat to the persistence of human civilisation. “By losing all these genera, we are losing the foundations of the planet to have life in general and human life in particular. If you have a wall made of bricks, if you lose some, it won’t collapse but it won’t be as strong. If you lose many bricks, eventually it will collapse. The combination of the gases in the atmosphere that allows us to have life on the planet depends on plants, animals and organisms. People say that we are alarmist by saying that we expect a collapse. We are alarmist because we are alarmed,” he said. “Extinction is irreversible,” he added. “From a more human-centric perspective, it’s almost impossible to predict which of these losses will have a significant impact on our own species. It’s an existential gamble we should think very hard about before taking.”
goatsneez 3y ago
This figures; it is pathological of the entire failed world model of P.Eh. This guy singularly cause so much death, destruction of communities, his ideas cost humanity decades on progress (yes, his views influenced politics to such a degree that famines were preferred to a relieving efforts in middle Asia. Forced sterilization of Inida, Africa, etc are also under his belt... one is speechless to learn the truth). Reality has debunked this sons of Malthus to the point of no return, and yet, here we are again with another 'boy who cried fire'. Your emotion of being alarmed is worth nothing Mr. Ehrlich, and that you are still in academia is a study case on its own. For those interested in getting into the details, the starting point should be: Merchants of Despair: Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists, and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism and Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak: Population Bombed!: Exploding the Link Between Overpopulation and Climate Change. Now, to the actual insane argument P.E. is making. The reality is that exact opposite. There has been virtually no family extinction past several thousands of years (species extinction is inconsequential: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species) . The biodiversity is in the number of taxonomy families is orders of magnitude larger now than ever in the history of earth as far as we can tell (factors over Cretaceous period before dinosaurs disappeared). Today, we have literally the most biodiverse biosphere in the history of Earth. As humanity, we shall take the role of responsibility, first by understanding deeply nature - divorced from politics and narratives convenient to the ruling classes to keep control over the 'promethean fire'. P.E. unfortunately fails this repeatedly throughout his career.
- myshpa 3y ago
  > to the actual insane argument P.E. is making. The reality is that exact opposite Sorry, but I cannot agree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_overshoot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_overshoot https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2023-09-13-all-planetary-boundaries-mapped-out-for-the-first-time-six-of-nine-crossed.html https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2... All planetary boundaries mapped out for the first time, six of nine crossed https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01448-4 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01448-4 Humans are driving one million species to extinction https://earth.org/data_visualization/biodiversity-loss-in-numbers-the-2020-wwf-report/ https://earth.org/data_visualization/biodiversity-loss-in-nu... The Statistics of Biodiversity Loss [2020 WWF Report] shows us that global biodiversity loss is at its worst https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/18/a-wake-up-call-total-weight-of-wild-mammals-less-than-10-of-humanitys https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/18/a-wake-u... ‘A wake-up call’: total weight of wild mammals less than 10% of humanity’s https://xkcd.com/1338/ https://xkcd.com/1338/ Land Mammals (a half of those green boxes are mice) https://phys.org/news/2023-06-ecological-doom-loops-ecosystem-collapses-sooner.html https://phys.org/news/2023-06-ecological-doom-loops-ecosyste... Ecological doom-loops: Why ecosystem collapses may occur much sooner than expected https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/13/almost-70-of-animal-populations-wiped-out-since-1970-report-reveals-aoe https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/13/almost-7... Animal populations experience average decline of almost 70% since 1970, report reveals
  - gottorf 3y ago
    > While Ehrlich's predictions might have missed the mark in some cases That's very generous. Has he made a single major prediction that even came close to being true?
    - myshpa 3y ago
      > That's very generous It may be. I'm not really familiar with his previous work. I've edited the previous comment, thank you.
deleted 3y ago
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10 points by myshpa 3y ago

The authors, Prof Gerardo Ceballos and Prof Paul Ehrlich, have previously found that species are becoming extinct on a scale akin to the event that wiped out the dinosaurs, and warn that the loss is a threat to the persistence of human civilisation. “By losing all these genera, we are losing the foundations of the planet to have life in general and human life in particular. If you have a wall made of bricks, if you lose some, it won’t collapse but it won’t be as strong. If you lose many bricks, eventually it will collapse. The combination of the gases in the atmosphere that allows us to have life on the planet depends on plants, animals and organisms. People say that we are alarmist by saying that we expect a collapse. We are alarmist because we are alarmed,” he said. “Extinction is irreversible,” he added. “From a more human-centric perspective, it’s almost impossible to predict which of these losses will have a significant impact on our own species. It’s an existential gamble we should think very hard about before taking.”

goatsneez 3y ago

This figures; it is pathological of the entire failed world model of P.Eh. This guy singularly cause so much death, destruction of communities, his ideas cost humanity decades on progress (yes, his views influenced politics to such a degree that famines were preferred to a relieving efforts in middle Asia. Forced sterilization of Inida, Africa, etc are also under his belt... one is speechless to learn the truth). Reality has debunked this sons of Malthus to the point of no return, and yet, here we are again with another 'boy who cried fire'. Your emotion of being alarmed is worth nothing Mr. Ehrlich, and that you are still in academia is a study case on its own. For those interested in getting into the details, the starting point should be: Merchants of Despair: Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists, and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism and Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak: Population Bombed!: Exploding the Link Between Overpopulation and Climate Change. Now, to the actual insane argument P.E. is making. The reality is that exact opposite. There has been virtually no family extinction past several thousands of years (species extinction is inconsequential: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species) . The biodiversity is in the number of taxonomy families is orders of magnitude larger now than ever in the history of earth as far as we can tell (factors over Cretaceous period before dinosaurs disappeared). Today, we have literally the most biodiverse biosphere in the history of Earth. As humanity, we shall take the role of responsibility, first by understanding deeply nature - divorced from politics and narratives convenient to the ruling classes to keep control over the 'promethean fire'. P.E. unfortunately fails this repeatedly throughout his career.

myshpa 3y ago
> to the actual insane argument P.E. is making. The reality is that exact opposite Sorry, but I cannot agree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_overshoot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_overshoot https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2023-09-13-all-planetary-boundaries-mapped-out-for-the-first-time-six-of-nine-crossed.html https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2... All planetary boundaries mapped out for the first time, six of nine crossed https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01448-4 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01448-4 Humans are driving one million species to extinction https://earth.org/data_visualization/biodiversity-loss-in-numbers-the-2020-wwf-report/ https://earth.org/data_visualization/biodiversity-loss-in-nu... The Statistics of Biodiversity Loss [2020 WWF Report] shows us that global biodiversity loss is at its worst https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/18/a-wake-up-call-total-weight-of-wild-mammals-less-than-10-of-humanitys https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/18/a-wake-u... ‘A wake-up call’: total weight of wild mammals less than 10% of humanity’s https://xkcd.com/1338/ https://xkcd.com/1338/ Land Mammals (a half of those green boxes are mice) https://phys.org/news/2023-06-ecological-doom-loops-ecosystem-collapses-sooner.html https://phys.org/news/2023-06-ecological-doom-loops-ecosyste... Ecological doom-loops: Why ecosystem collapses may occur much sooner than expected https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/13/almost-70-of-animal-populations-wiped-out-since-1970-report-reveals-aoe https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/13/almost-7... Animal populations experience average decline of almost 70% since 1970, report reveals
- gottorf 3y ago
  > While Ehrlich's predictions might have missed the mark in some cases That's very generous. Has he made a single major prediction that even came close to being true?
  - myshpa 3y ago
    > That's very generous It may be. I'm not really familiar with his previous work. I've edited the previous comment, thank you.

deleted 3y ago

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