The Sixth Extinction Elizabeth Korbert Summary

In the book The Sixth Extinction the author Elizabeth Kolbert writes about the major problem our planet is facing. Humans are causing a new mass extinction. There have been five major mass extinctions in the past. Unlike the others this extinction is caused by humans. It is occurring at incredibly fast rate because of the climate change. She also mentions how increased hunting in the bird the great auk caused them to eventually die off. This book is about the negative human impact on this planet. Kolbert explains the variety of problems humans are causing on this planet and the biodiversity. Even mentioning how we are affecting the planet so much that we are in a new era. In the article and seminar about tanoak trees it was discussed how even though some cultures loved the tanoak tree, and was very beneficial, it still was negatively impacted by others. The tanoak tree is important because it’s the only species in the genus. It is also an important food source for wildlife. The tree can produce one thousand pounds of acorns annually.
When people hear the word extinction, they think of the word that they have been hearing since they were small toddlers. When this word is heard most refer to the dinosaurs becoming extinct. In the book the sixth extinction it mentions how
Humans are the reason for the sixth extinction. Species are dropping at an incredibly fast rate. This is mostly because of climate change and ocean acidification affecting the planets biodiversity. As the climate changes animals are unable to adapt. For an example as the earth begins to warm, ice begins to melt, which will cause major harm for animals, including us. With the ice melting it will cause polar bears to have reduce access to food which will cause harm to their bodies and there cubs. These events are happening all over the world and humans are the only ones who can stop