The Extinction Crisis
End Ordovician, 444 million years ago, 86% of species
lost The Ice age
which triggered the growth of the Appalachian Mountains as well as the drop-in
sea levels which triggered the newly developed growth of CO 2 chilling the
planet.
Late Devonian, 375 million years ago, 75% of species
lost Newly
evolved land plants, with deep roots, which delved into our oceans. This could
have triggered algae blooms which would’ve caused oxygen to be released from
the water, thus suffocating many bottom dwellers. There was also volcanic ash
which caused the cooling of the planet in some areas, which caused more species
to be lost.
End Permian, Triassic 251 million years ago, 96% of
species lost Siberia
blasted CO 2 into the atmosphere with a great volcanic eruption. After which
many natural catastrophes followed suit. Such as the Methanogenic bacteria
responded by belching out methane, which in turn was a very potent greenhouse
gas. Because of all of this, global temperatures surged while oceans acidified
and stagnated, belching poisonous hydrogen sulfide. It was like the planet
was arguing with indigestion.
End Jurassic, 200 million years ago, 80% of species
lost No clear
cause for this extinction has ever been found.
End Cretaceous, 66 million years ago, 76% of all
species lost Volcanic
activity and climate change placed all animals during this time frame under
undue stress. The final blow, was the asteroid that impacted the planet,
causing the extinction of the great dinosaurs.
Holocene Era, Current Plants and animals are currently
dying off at an abnormally faster rate. Humans are changing the planet,
impacting its growth and climate change. We now are experiencing global
warming, which is a human induced extinction. Many researchers claim that we are in the middle of a mass extinction
event faster than the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction which wiped out the
dinosaurs.
Quote by E.
O. Wilson, “The one process now going on that will take millions of years to
correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of
natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to
forgive us.”
What evidence can you find to
support or refute that statement? Today 99.9 percent
of Earth’s animals that once populated this great planet are extinct. The only
way we have learned about most of them are through fossils.
I cannot disagree with Mr. Wilson, we are
destroying our planet, and have been since we decided to do things like, for
example: visit the moon. How is this causing us a problem? We are blasting
through our atmosphere. Making a hole in it. How is this a good thing? It
isn’t. This is only one example, I could fill this paper with millions, for
example aerosols. They too damage not only our lungs but our atmosphere as well.
But hey, here we are hair spraying our hair, and deodorizing our armpits trying
to make ‘ourselves’ better while destroying the place we live. How is this
wise? There you go, two points describing the destruction of where we live.
Gee, let’s
think about Lake Apopka, here in Florida. How about when the Ohioans destroyed
Lake Erie and darn near killed the life in it? How about the places we build to
hoard our trash in, and stink up our communities and call them landfills? Sure,
the racoons enjoy them.
Oh, let me add something I seen and shared
on facebook today. The straws we make. I witnessed a poor tortoise have to have
a straw that we use in our drinks dug out of his nostril. And then what about
the ones who get caught in the six pack holders? How are we benefitting nature
with these? We’re not. We’re hurting them. They should not have to change
because we can’t throw our trash away properly, and make thing biodegradable.
How will our descendants least like
forgive us?
They won’t because they will not get to know certain creatures because we will
have destroyed them before they could have ever gotten to meet them, if in fact
the planet is not under a dome by then.
Do you agree with Wilson? Explain
why you do or don’t agree and present the evidence supporting your opinion. Yes, I agree with him. I think I presented my
evidence above. But do I want to see this planet end? No, I don’t think anyone
does. Is it too late to change? Only time will tell.
What are we doing wrong? We are over populating our planet,
we are polluting it, we are over harvesting. (How are we over harvesting?) We
think we need to produce and sell, and make and create more animals than what
we need. Think about it like this: my mother called it filling your plate with
your eyes. You think you’re really hungry so you put too much food on your
plate. Now look how much you are throwing away. Now this is where my mother
would lecture me about ‘waste not want not’ and ‘the starving kids in Africa.’
This is exactly what we are doing. We think that we ‘need’ so much of this and
that, but honestly, we do not. And the other ways we are having problems, is
with the invasive species that do not belong in certain areas. These plants,
and animals are causing problems with the proper chain of events. These are
causing something else to suffer, thus causing an adverse reaction in the long
run.
Do you realize how many trees we have
destroyed to create paper and furniture? Just how many forests e have ruined?
How many animals we have displaced? Think about it. And yet to this day, there
are still people doing illegal logging, displacing animals, that don’t care. Do
they not think about the damages they are causing to this planet? Do they not
think of the future generations? Obviously not.
Are you aware there was an entire race of
people lost because change? When an entire species vanishes and that race is
intertwined with that animal, the race vanishes with it!
Then when temperatures aren’t acting
properly, or are acting improper, animals aren’t certain when to molt, or will
molt at the wrong time, causing them to suffer, things such as this can happen.
So much can go wrong, the list is never ending. And the thing is, everyone is
suffering, and they just think it is normal when in all reality, it is not.
Humans think, ‘Gee, my allergies usually
don’t act up until Spring, here it is October. I must’ve started a new
allergy.’ Maybe, then again, this too could be an effect of the climate change.
Simple little things with everyone, humans
included can be related to the climate change. You may not think it’s true, but
in the long run: ask your doctor. I did. And he agreed. Yes, it is.
Mankind is his own worst enemy, especially
recently. And now, we need to find a fast way to find a cure to fix every
problem we have created. Stop thinking the Earth will adapt, because this is
where we live. It is time to find a cure for our home, rather than a cure for
Cancer, because by the time we find the cure for Cancer, it just might be too
late, if we don’t have a planet to reside on!
It’s time to wake up, before it’s too late.
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