Human overpopulation and overconsumption has resulted in a ‘biological annihilation’ of wildlife in recent decades, with the Earth’s current sixth mass extinction more severe than previously feared.
Scientists believe the planet is experiencing a global epidemic of population losses, with approximately 32% of known vertebrate species and 40% of mammals decreasing.
By examining the fossil records, it was also established that the extinction rate of species among vertebrates over the past century has been up to 10 times faster than the ‘normal’ rate over the past two million years.
However, this problem was found to be just as severe among plants and insects, with the latter experiencing declines of approximately 45% over the past 35 years – with obvious consequences for the rest of the food chain.
The research points to larger population losses and assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades, making it “one the most severe human-caused global environmental problems”.
It is thought that there is only a very small window of effective action – two or three decades at most – as human behaviour continues to reflect the ‘fiction’ that perpetual growth can occur on a finite planet, painting a dismal picture of the future of life.