Global Environmental Issues

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Global Environmental Issues
Q1: Sixth Mass Extinctions is a Human Caused Event
For several decades now, scientists have been cautioning that humans are pushing life on Earth towards sixth mass extermination. Previously, there have been five mass annihilation events that caused sudden deaths of a wide diversity of species on this planet. The impending sixth mass extinction has often been associated with a myriad of human activities ranging from pollution to overpopulation. Human activities such as poaching, deforestation, extreme weather events, and warming oceans, humans are also to blame for the new age of permanent species loss (Kolbert 3). Contrary to past extinctions that are usually linked to natural causes, the current rate and scope of extermination are normal.
Q2: How and Why Ocean Acidification is related to Global Warming
Ocean acidification and global warming have a parallel relationship as they result from the unprecedented burning of fossil fuels. As humans continue to over-rely on fossil fuels, the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere keeps rising. The situation has facilitated climate change besides increasing both air and sea temperatures. The level of acidity in oceans is continually increasing due to growing concentration of carbon in the atmosphere. The continued acidification of the ocean threatens not only the marine ecosystem but also human food systems and livelihood activities such as fishing and tourism (Kolbert 5).

Also, acidification poses a significant danger to the reef ecosystem as it slows the development of coral skeletons, making reefs more fragile and less resilient to stressors.
Q3: Why Homo Sapiens is the Most Successful Invasive Species
With the systematic elimination of natural control systems that keep Earth in check, Home Sapiens have proved to be the most successful invasive species on this planet. Over the years, they have been able to process natural resource for their benefit. Invasive species are non-native, a characteristic that humans have demonstrated by colonizing every continent and driving out species and populations that existed there before (Kolbert 6). As invasive species, home sapiens have had adverse effects effect on their habitat by engaging in activities that threaten ecological sustainability.
Q4: The Need to Provide Money for Research Concerning the 6th Mass Extinction
Diverse animal species across the world are dying away and becoming extinct as the Earth enters its sixth mass extermination. Undeniably, certain species such as vertebrates have faded away extremely fast than they would have without human activity over the past century. It is vital to note that species that would have taken around 11,400 years to go extinct have died out in the past one hundred years (Kolbert 8). Much of the extermination associated with the contemporary world results from human activities that have caused multiple adverse effects on the environment. Besides increased the rate of carbon emissions that drive ocean acidification and climate change, humans have also played a significant part in habitat loss and pollution. At the current rate, the Earth will lose a considerable amount of its biodiversity in as little as three human generations (Kolbert 8). The possibility of the sixth mass extinction is devastating since it takes millions of years to repopulate the Earth and for life to recover.
The need for extensive research regarding the sixth mass extinction is categorical. Scientists require more resources to explore species on the verge of extermination due to human deeds especially those facilitating the instigation of exotic organisms, damage of habitat, and global warming. The rate of change in the biosphere is on the increase. Since all species depend on each other due to the complex ecological web, the extermination of a single class will result in the death of others. As ecosystems unravel, the rate of extinction is likely to escalate in the coming decades. Comprehensive research on the species at the most risk and possible mitigation measures is the only outstanding option for salvaging our ecosystem.
Work Cited
Kolbert, Elizabeth. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. 4th ed., Henry Holt and Co., 2014.