Elizabeth Kolbert: How the 6th extinction threatens humans

>>> SCIENTISTS SAY WE'RE LIVING
THROUGH THE SIXTH MASS
EXTINCTION IN THE LAST MASS
EXTINCTION IT'S BELIEVED AN
ASTEROID WAS THE CAUSE.
THIS TIME HUMANS ARE TO BLAME.
ONE THIRD OF THE NEARLY 30,000
LAND VERTY OPERATES STUDIED ARE
EXPERIENCING CONSIDERABLE
DECLINES.
THERE ARE 6,000 CHEETAHS LEFT
DOWN FROM 100,000 AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURY.
IN JUST 20 YEARS ELEPHANTS COULD
BE COMPLETELY EXTINCT.
SOME OF THAT IS POACHING.
BUT TERRITORY LOSS AND CLIMATE
CHANGE IS THOUGHT TO BE THE MAIN
CAUSES FOR THESE EXTINCTIONS
ELIZABETH CULBERT TRAVELLED THE
WORLD TO WRITE A DEFINITIVE
ACCOUNT OF THE EXTINCTION.
FIVE PREVIOUS MASS EXTINCTIONS.
IT MAY SEMAN OBVIOUS QUESTION,
WHAT WOULD SUCH AN EXTINCTION OF
THESE ANIMALS MEAN FOR HUMANITY,
FOR THE PLANET?
>> WELL, THIS IS THE GREAT
UNANSWERED QUESTION.
AND THAT IS WHY I THINK
SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO DRAW
ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE WHEN
WE'RE OBVIOUSLY.
STILL THE VAST NUMBER OF SPECIES
ON EARTH.
I'M HAPPY TO SAY.
THE POSSIBILITY OF WHAT PEOPLE
CALL A CASCADE OF EFFECTS WHERE
ONE SPECIES GOES INTO DECLINE
AND KNOCKS OUT ANOTHER AND WHOLE
ECOSYSTEMS START TO UNTRAVEL.
THAT COULD HAVE BIG IMPACTS ON
PEOPLE AP THE THE END OF THE
DAY, EVERYTHING WE EAT, ALL THE
FISH WE FISH OUT OF THE OCEANS,
ALL OF THESE ARE PART OF A
NATURAL WORLD THAT WE SORT OF
CONTROL, BUT DO NOT ENTIRELY
CONTROL AT THIS POINT.
>> A CO DEPENDENCY IN MANY WAYS.
YOU WRITE THAT IN IS ENS.
A TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED
SOCIETY IS DESTROYING ITSELF.
WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY CHOICES
BEING MADE THAT ARE CAUSING
THIS.
>> WELL, WHEN I WROTE THAT LINE,
IT WAS PRIMARILY REFERRING TO
CLIMATE CHANGE, WE'VE BEEN
WARNED OVER AND OVER AND OVER
AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING VERY CLEAR
SIGNS, ALL OVER THE WORLD,
EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK.
THE DECLINE IS CHANGING RAPIDLY,
AND MOVING OUT OF THE SPACE IN
WHICH HUMANS ARE A PRETTY YOUNG
SPECIES, WE'VE ONLY BEEN AROUND
FOR 2 OR 300,000 YEARS, WE'RE
MOVING THE CLIMATE OUT OF THE
CLIMATE REGIME IN WHICH HUMANS
EVOLVE.
IT'S A DANGEROUS THING TO DO.
>> WE'RING AT VIDEO OF A
GIRAFFE, THEY'RE THREATENED AS
WELL.
SCIENTISTS TALK ABOUT BIAS FOR
LOVABLE ANIMALS.
THERE'S A LOVABLE ONE.
THE GIRAFFE.
YOU WROTE A LOT ABOUT THE
PANAMANIAN GOLDEN FROG WHICH IS
ENDANGERED.
THERE'S SOME SPECIES OF BATS AS
WELL, EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE WHY THEY
SHOULD CARE ABOUT THOSE BATS,
LESS THAN CUDDLY CREATURES?
>> WELL, AS I SAID, I MEAN, THE
MESSAGE OF ECOLOGY, THE SCIENCE
OF ECOLOGY HAS ALWAYS BEEN,
EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.
AND IT'S CONNECTED IN WAYS WE
DON'T ALWAYS UNDERSTAND UNTIL
IT'S TOO LATE.
WE ARE INTIMATELY CONNECTED, OUR
SOURCE OF -- AS I SAID, OUR
SOURCE OF ALL OUR FOOD, OXYGEN,
ALL OF THIS COMES FROM LIFE
ITSELF.
YOU START PULLING AT THE THREADS
OF THESE ECOSYSTEMS, AND NOT
KNOWING HOW FAR YOU CAN TUG
BEFORE THEY START TO UNRAVEL
THAT'S A VERY RISKY STRATEGY.
EVEN IF YOU THINK -- I DIDN'T
KNOW THE PENGUIN EXISTED.
IT'S STILL PROBABLY TRUE.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION AS IT
WERE, THAT YOU AND THAT PENGUIN
ARE CONNECTED IN SOME PRETTY
IMPORTANT WAYS.
>> I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, CAN
IT BE TURNED AROUND?
I GUESS IT CAN, BUT IS IT TOO
LATE?
>> I DON'T THINK THERE'S EVER A
MOMENT WHERE WE GET TO SAY IT'S
TOO LATE?
ALL OF THE FORCES THAT ARE
PRODUCING THIS MASS EXTINCTION
EVENT, THERE ARE MANY OF THEM.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS ONE.
HABITAT LOSS IS THE OTHER,
POACHING IS A THIRD.
INVASIVE SPECIES THAT HAVE BIG
EFFECTS ON OTHER SPECIES.
ALL OF THESE ARE CONTRIBUTING TO
THIS EXTINCTION EVENT.
THERE'S NOT ONE THING WE TAB
INTO.
THERE ARE MANY THINGS.
ON ALMOST ALL OF THESE FRONTS,
WE KNOW SIGNIFICANT STEPS TO
TAKE, AND WE WILL TAKE THEM.
WE NEED TO DRAMATICALLY REDUCE
OUR CURRENT EMISSIONS.
WE KNOW HOW TO DO IT, WE JUST
HAVEN'T BEEN DOING IT.
>> IT'S A MATTER OF WILL, ISN'T
IT?
TO THAT POINT, IT'S INTERESTING,
AS THIS UNFOLDS, YOU HAVE HERE
IN THE U.S., A MASSIVE ROLE BACK
OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS
UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION,
SO CALLED DEREGULATION IF YOU
LIKE, A LOT OF THAT IS GOING
UNNOTICED BECAUSE OF THE WAVES
OF THE COVERAGE OF RUSSIA, AND
OTHER DAILY ISSUES, IT'S A
STUNNING NUMBER OF DAILY ISSUES
BEING REMOVED.
HOW DO YOU REACT TO THAT?
>> I THINK THAT'S VERY
FRIGHTENING AND EXACTLY THE
OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE NEED TO BE
DOING.
WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT THESE
ISSUES IN A VERY SERIOUS, SOBER
MINDED WAY OF BEING DRIVEN BY
WHAT WE KNOW AND BEING HUMBLED
BY WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.
AND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS
TAKING THE EXACT OPPOSITE TACK
BLENDERING IN THERE, IGNORING
THE SCIENCE, LITERALLY YOU CAN
GO ON THE WEB SIDE OF AGENCIES
LIKE THE EPA THESE DAYS AND THE
SCIENCE HAS BEEN REMOVED.
IT'S A VERY VERY DISHEARTENING
DEVELOPMENT, AND I THINK THE
CONSEQUENCES WILL PLAY OUT FOR
ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES,
POTENTIALLY FOREVER.
NOW THE ONE CAVEAT HERE, AND THE
ONE BIT OF GOOD NEWS IS, EVERY
STEP OF THE WAY, HE'S GOING TO
BE CHALLENGED IN COURT, AND WE
HAVE YET TO SEE EXACTLY HOW
THAT'S GOING TO PLAY OUT.
>> ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES
REPORTED JUST RECENTLY ON MOVING
A WHOLE BUNCH OF ELEPHANTS FROM
ONE PART OF AFRICA TO THE OTHER.
IS THAT SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH?
IS THAT ENOUGH OR IS IT NIBBLING
AROUND THE EDGES?
OR DOES IT ALL COUNT?
>> WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF
QUESTIONS NOWADAYS, BECAUSE
THERE ARE SO MANY SPECIES IN
TROUBLE.
WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR RESOURCES,
WHAT DO DO?
ELEPHANTS ARE A HUGELY --
CHARISMATIC FAWN.
THEY'RE A SPECIAL THAT GETS A
LOT OF ATTENTION, THEY'RE
MAGNIFICENT ANIMALS, VERY SLOW
TO REPRODUCE.
WHEN YOU ARE KILLING THEM OFF
FASTER THAN THEY CAN REPRODUCE,
WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT
NOW, THEY ARE, AS YOU SUGGESTED
EARLIER, HEADED TOWARD OBLIVION,
AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD
AGREE, ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO
SAVE ELEPHANTS IS WORTH DOING AT
THIS POINT.
BUT IT DOES RAISE BIGGER
QUESTIONS, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO
MANY SPECIES OUT THERE SO MANY
FROGS AND TODAYS AND INSECTS
THAT ARE ENDANGERED.
SO MANY THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT
YET.
THESE ARE ALL QUESTIONS THAT ARE
NOT GOING AWAY.

Elizabeth Kolbert: How the 6th extinction threatens humans

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