Posted on 03/06/2007 8:56:51 AM PST by presidio9
While global warming continues to gain widespread public awareness, a potentially more devastating environmental threat is only beginning to get noticed, reports Tony Russomanno with KPIX-TV, the CBS station in San Francisco.
The threat is mass extinction, and scientists are taking it very seriously.
There is widespread belief among scientists that current species of life are becoming extinct at a rate more than 1,000 times higher than normal.
"We are at the precipice of the end of the world," said Chera Van Burg of Species Alliance.
An asteroid caused the last mass extinction when it wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
Some believe that if a meteor were to strike the Earth again today, the effect on life would be little different that what may already be underway.
"According to a consensus of the world's biologists, a mass extinction is unfolding or about to unfold on planet Earth," said David Ulansey of Massextinction.net.
The Yangtze River dolphin was only the latest example when it disappeared just last month.
While doomsayers are at the extreme end of scientific opinion, some biologists believe a worst-case mass-extinction scenario would wipe out 50 percent of existing species.
Humans, and species associated with humans, are not threatened with extinction, but if it occurs, mass extinction would break the interconnected web of life and lead to a substantial decrease in human populations.
And some scientists believe humans are to blame for mass extinction.
"If our influence on Earth continues to expand, we're likely to lose half or more of the species on Earth," said Stanford University ecologist Peter Vitousek.
The theories on mass extinction are laid out in the documentary "Call of Life," to be released later this year.
Some have already heard the call.
"If we continue at the present rate, virtually all the species of fish in the ocean will be extinct in the next 50 years," said former Vice President Al Gore in a recent visit to Silicon Valley.
And that's something that professional fishermen say worries them every day.
"Only now are people starting to acknowledge that, whoa, all these greenhouse gases that we've been putting in the atmosphere are having an impact that could basically threaten life on this planet," said Zeke Grader, president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen.
Biologists say climate change is only one of the causes of extinction. The problem goes much deeper.
"It's not like global warming," said Ulansey. "The problem cannot be defined as CO2. You can't put it in a box. The problem is the way we live. It is every aspect of our lifestyle."
And every aspect of our lifestyle has consequences. For example, there are billions and billions of cell phones in the world, and every single one of them uses a metal called coltan. Of the very few places on Earth where coltan is mined, almost all of it comes from the Republic of Congo - right square in the middle of the habitat of the Mountain gorilla.
A United Nations agency said the gorilla population has declined 90 percent over just the past five years, partly as the result of land being cleared for coltan mining.
And that's only one species. Experts estimate more than 15,000 species today are threatened. And those are only the ones they know about from surveys.
Biologists believe the six major causes of the present mass extinction are habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, human overpopulation, human overconsumption, and climate change.
The good news is that there is still time to turn it around. The bad news - some believe - time is short, perhaps only five to 10 years to make significant changes in how we live our lives.
Lets de-industrialize in memory of the Yangtze Dolphin!
watta-buncha-hooey.
I think the air is out of the "global warming" sails - time to find a new threat!
Well the Global warming scam isn't going anywhere now that people are looking at the science so the 'watermelons" need something else to foist off on the plebes.
Global warming is losing its luster, so they have to come up with something else. No mention of just how these species are dying off, just that there is a mass extinction going on. Wow, this never happened before in all of history, right? What a bunch of idiots the average person must appear to these slime balls that try to perpetrate all this nonsense in the hopes of making us all slaves.
"According to a consensus of the world's biologists, a mass extinction is unfolding or about to unfold on planet Earth," said David Ulansey of Massextinction.net.
massextinction.net?
Gee, no bias there....
This author is Super-serial
YEC INTREP
Only 5-10 years before we are beset by global extinction? Hmmm. I thought that was the time frame we had before we were destroyed by global warming?
Anyone want to start a pool to wager on how long it will take these to loony groups to join and speak with one voice. Every time I read one of these stupid articles I am reminded of the cartoon of the man walking around the city wearing a sandwich board that says, "The end is near".
One of these millennium, these idiots are gonna be right!
watta-buncha-MOSTLY-hooey
So you are saying that Gorillas are in fact thriving in the Republic of Congo?
Uhhh, actually most of the tantalum (the important part of coltan) is mined in Australia. Coltan is the tantalum bearing mineral in that part of Africa, but it is a minor source of tantalum.
A United Nations agency said the gorilla population has declined 90 percent over just the past five years, partly as the result of land being cleared for coltan mining.
Interesting move from 90% to partly. If 0.1% of that 90% is caused by mining, it is "partly" responsible. I've heard that the main cause for gorilla decline is the ebola virus.
And I feel fine.
The more species that become extinct will be because of countries like China and India, of course the libs will just blame it on the United States and global warming.
I hope liberals are one of those threatened species.....
If it worries them that much I suggest they find a new line of work.
Some serious shaking and geo-earth changes predicted.
We are doing out part to help them along, but a lot of species were on their way to becoming extinct long before we showed up. These include gorillas, elephants, and cheetahs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.