Species Extinctions Rates At An All-Time High, But….

One calculates the rate of species extinctions the same way we measure mortality in a certain population.  We want the number of deaths per thousand individuals per year, so we take the total number of deaths in a given year, divide it by the total population, and then multiply it by 1000.  Knowing the rate of species extinctions relative to the total is important, if we’re to determine what effect humankind is having here.  Yes, there were no humans here ten million years ago, but there were fewer species as well.

This fabulous article in National Geographic points out the rate of extinction of animal species (of which there are currently approximately 1.9 million) is about 1000 times greater than it was before humankind came on to the scene.  Of course, this gets complicated, as there are so many factors at stake: deforestation and other incursions into habitat, chemical poisoning, poaching, climate change, etc.  And, as readers will learn, human-created technology is, in some cases, working to slow this terrible process.