Question

Since the origin of life on earth, there were five episodes of mass extinction of species.
(i) How is the ‘sixth extinction’, presently in progress, different from the previous episodes?
(ii) Who is mainly responsible for the ‘sixth extinction’?
(iii) List any four points that can help to overcome this disaster?

Answer 1

From the study of the history of life on earth through fossils records, we learned that large scale loss of species like the one we are currently witnessing is the ‘sixth extinction’. It has also happened earlier, even before humans appeared on the Earth.

Complete answer:
i) The sixth extinction is different from its previous episodes in terms of its faster growth rates. It is estimated to be $100 - 1000$ times faster than in the pre-human era.
ii) The human activities like deforestation, pollution that ultimately leads to global warming, disruption in the environment and ecological imbalance are responsible for the ‘Sixth Extinction’.
iii) We can overcome this disaster by following ways:-
a) Preventing the over-exploitation of natural resources. Many species extinction in the last $500$ years (Steller’s sea cow) were due to overexploitation caused by humans.
b) Conservation of species and their natural habitat to prevent habitat loss.
c) Afforestation should be practised, emission of greenhouse gases should be reduced.
d) Create awareness among people about the importance of species diversity to the ecosystem, the importance of biodiversity, and how to prevent loss of biodiversity.

Note: The biodiversity is a wealth of our planet that has been declining rapidly and due to human activities. In general, the loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to a decline in the population of species, habitat loss, climate change, diseases, etc. Environment issues should be taken seriously to prevent extinction.