DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
 
 
 
'Extinction: The Facts' is a Sobering Call to Action
March 30, 2021  | By David Hinckley  | 339 comments
 


The only thing more ominous and depressing than a PBS program titled Extinction is its content.

Extinction: The Facts airs at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on PBS (check local listings), and while its warnings are familiar, their urgency doesn't get any less chilling with repetition.

Narrated by long-time nature journalist David Attenborough, Extinction essentially warns that if the human residents of the planet don't get our ecological act together fast, we could lose a million species over a handful of years.

For those of you keeping score, that includes about half a million plant species and the same number of animal and insect species.

The most poignant specific example is the Northern White Rhino, whose fate, sadly, is already sealed. There remain only two Northern White Rhinos, a 30-year-old mother and her 19-year-old daughter. With no living males, the daughter will one day be the last of her kind.

But species extinction isn't just a matter of "gee, that's too bad" that we will no longer see larger fascinating animals like the Northern White Rhino or small cute animals like the pangolin, which is being poached toward extinction because con artists have convinced a large number of people their scales have medicinal value, which is a lie.

No, multiple experts point out here, species extinction affects our lives much more directly.

Insect extinction, for example, which probably pops up on almost no one's radar as a major concern, disrupts the food chain at its starting point. It also has a dire effect on pollination since insects pollinate some 70% of world food crops.

A little higher up the food chain, the experts here trace our recent explosion in dangerous viral diseases – HIV, SARS, Ebola, swine flu, and, yup, COVID-19 – to increased human interaction with wild animals and, therefore, the viruses they harbor.

Whatever price we humans pay, however, the animals pay an even higher one. When humans push into previously wild territory, which we do relentlessly as the human population triples within many of our lifetimes, it almost never ends well for the previous inhabitants.

They lose their homeland to deforestation and the expansion of agriculture, primarily meaning new cattle ranches. They lose the quality of the remaining land to the degradation of human-generated pollution. Throw in climate change, another legacy primarily of humans, and that's why a million species could be forced out of business.

Attenborough and others here note that none of these warnings should come as any surprise. For more than a half-century, there has been a serious environmental movement sounding this alarm to anyone who will listen.

There has been some governmental and political response. Too much has been lip service, however, and there remain powerful forces, in government and industry, who find it more convenient and profitable to either deny there's a problem or do nothing about it.

That's the depressing part of Extinction: The Facts. While an international statement like the Paris Agreement reflects at least an awareness of environmental crises, so far, we only have starting points toward serious rethinking of how our species does business.

Some of the experts here express the optimistic hope that the economic "pause" imposed on much of the world by the COVID pandemic will become a point at which we can rethink how we treat the environment.

Perhaps, in this optimistic view, we will find a way to create progress and economic health in a way that doesn't destroy the biodiversity of the planet. That model, these experts all agree, is entirely feasible. It just requires the will to undertake some fundamental restructuring.

There are little signs everywhere that this could be occurring. It's harder to find more significant signs that it's happening on anything like the scale that will be necessary to halt or reverse many of the destructive practices already in place, from widespread poaching of endangered wildlife to the bulldozing of the rainforests.

Closer to home, perhaps, this restructuring would also require a reassessment of the exploding consumerism in richer, more developed countries. That demand exacerbates both pollution and some of the most lethal practices in the less developed world.

Attenborough and company don't leave us without hope. But it's a fragile one and Extinction: The Facts leaves little doubt that we're still unraveling when we should be repairing.

Because at some point, we just run out of planet.

 
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
USLFY
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 17  | Go to page: 
339 Comments
 
 
I am very happy to visit your blog, It tells me a lot of useful information. I will regularly visit the blog to support you.
Dec 1, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
ufabet168 ??????????????????????? ?????????? ???????
Nov 28, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
I can suggest essentially not too bad and even dependable tips, accordingly see it:
Nov 28, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
Hi I found your site by mistake when i was searching yahoo for this acne issue, I must say your site is really helpful I also love the design, its amazing!. I don’t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also add your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. thanks for a great site
Nov 28, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
lekkuddar
The following seriously sometimes a really good offer we the fact is seriously experienced looking into. It is far from essentially common we add substitute for find out a specialized element.
Nov 28, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
crescent prestige svart
The following seriously sometimes a really good offer we the fact is seriously experienced looking into. It is far from essentially common we add substitute for find out a specialized element.
Nov 28, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
autodiscuss
Very easily this site will most likely undoubtedly perhaps end up being popular including numerous weblogs individuals, because of its painstaking content pieces or possibly views.
Nov 27, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
Common Number Full Succes Dada, Shillong Teer Common, Khanapara Teer Common, Juwai, Succes shillong Teer Common
Nov 27, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
I just learned this after reading this article, thank you
Nov 27, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
link vào jun88
Quickly this site could indisputably generally always be dominant relating to every one of web site buyers, as a consequence of fastidious stories plus exams.
Nov 27, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
I have a comparable intrigue this is my page read everything deliberately and let me comprehend what you think.
Nov 26, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
I propose only great alongside legitimate information, subsequently picture it:
Nov 26, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
There are many tech websites on the internet. But people are searching for the good content tech sites to gain their ideas. Recently I surf the internet and got the new website names Techcliky.com. That was one of the best site I ever see.
Nov 22, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
shillong teer result
Get daily teer result, shillong teer result, khanapara teer result, teer result common number daily success live teer result here.
Nov 21, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
continuously i used to read smaller articles that also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this article which I am reading here.
Nov 20, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
rút ti?n 79king
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this superb blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will share this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
Nov 17, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
I do believe this is a great website. I stumbledupon it I’m going to revisit yet again since i have bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.
Nov 16, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
W88
An impressive share, I merely given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis for this. Anf the husband in truth bought me breakfast simply because I found it for him.. smile. So i want to reword that: Thnx for your treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending plenty of time to talk about this, I feel strongly regarding this and really like reading regarding this topic. If it is possible, as you grow expertise, can you mind updating your blog site with a lot more details? It’s highly useful for me. Huge thumb up with this writing!
Nov 16, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
Usually I never comment on blogs but your article is so convincing
Nov 15, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
ufabet789 ??????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????PG ????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????
Nov 14, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 17  | Go to page: