Following the Dinosaurs: Understanding the Sixth Extinction

Have you ever heard of the Sixth Extinction?

The future of life on Earth depends on our actions today. Illustration created by Chip, powered by WordCraft.

Unlike the catastrophic events of the past — volcanic eruptions or asteroid impacts — the sixth extinction isn’t a natural disaster. It’s a phenomenon we’re creating, an unprecedented loss of biodiversity driven by human activity. This marks the first time in Earth’s history that one species is the primary cause of a mass extinction. It’s not a distant threat; it’s happening now, and the implications reach every corner of the planet.

A Crisis Unfolding

Deforestation: One of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Illustration created by Chip, powered by WordCraft.

The Sixth Extinction signifies an era in which species vanish at an alarming rate, far surpassing the natural pace of evolutionary turnover. Scientists estimate that up to 150 species are lost daily. That’s not just a number — it represents ecosystems unraveling, food chains collapsing, and the erasure of countless evolutionary stories. The current extinction rate is estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times higher than the natural rate, which in the past was one to five species per year.

These numbers are staggering, but what do they mean? In a natural world, species extinction occurs gradually, allowing ecosystems…