Earth’s 6th mass extinction could happen soon

Our planet is in the throes of another mass extinction, and humans are primarily to blame. A review of studies and analysis of data showed that Earth is experiencing an alarming decline in animal species and populations, and this could be the “early days” of a sixth mass biological extinction event. The review – published Thursday, July 24, in the journal Science – said that in the past 500 years animal population reductions and extinctions “may be comparable in both rate and magnitude with the five previous mass extinctions of Earth’s history.” Human activity, the scientists observed, could have caused this decline. Although some measures could be taken to mitigate the decline, the solutions – which involve addressing climate change and pollution – are more complex.

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