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Scientists Warn Humans Are Accelerating Mass Extinctions


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    We are knee deep in earths sixth mass extinction and scientists are now warning that it is accelerating at a troubling rate. The Holocene extinction has been underway for the past 10,000 years, so humans can't necessarily be blamed for everything, but what is undeniable is that we are making things far worse than they need to be.

    According to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, at least 543 "land vertebrate species" became extinct in the 20th Century. We are on track to reach that same number in the next 20 years of the 21st Century, meaning the 21st Century may more than twice as many extinctions as the 20th. Gerardo Ceballos, lead author of the new study and an ecologist at the University of Mexico put it rather bluntly when he said "every year over the last century we lost the same number of species typically lost in 100 years."

    The authors of the study warn that these mass extinctions will disrupt earths fragile ecosystem, the global food chain, and increase the threats food borne illness, just to name a few.

    What more troubling is that world governments have all but given up on doing anything at the scale required to slow this troubling trend. So, scientists are basically looking into a crystal ball and telling us what our future holds while we continue to shrug and "put it off for another day."

    I wish I could end this thread with some positive developments or reasons for optimism, but I honestly don't see any. Does anyone have anything to add that may help me have a reason to hope for our future?

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    Off the top of my head, I think of plans for sustainable (eco) cities of the future, that aspire to live in more harmony with nature in general. And pushes toward renewable energy. It is possible that as tech gets more advanced and therefore less impactful and more elegant, we could find ourselves in the distant future living in eco-cities around the world that blend in and play off of, and even help the natural world around us a lot more. Of course we are no where near those more utopian dream cities right now. But at least it's a glimmer of hope kind of thought, and honestly quite possible, for future generations if they/we ever decide to go that route. It is at least possible.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_city

    Also, recommend this book.

    Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

    It explores our ability to pull this off in the future, basically that advancements in tech will raise everyone's standards of living in time and that tech will become better and much more eco-friendly in all kinds of ways. Its convincing enough to at least make you think and at most turn you into an optimist for the future.

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    Cosmic Kid Wrote:

    It is possible that as tech gets more advanced and therefore less impactful and more elegant, we could find ourselves in the distant future living in eco-cities around the world that blend in and play off of, and even help the natural world around us a lot more.

    That reminds me of the Earthship. These are wonderful alternatives to your traditionally built home. Instead it "reinvents" trash and is self sufficient.