Elizabeth Kolbert
Earth has endured five mass extinctions, but the sixth is happening right now, driven entirely by humanity's unprecedented alteration of the planet's geochemical and biological systems.
Rapid, human-induced environmental alterations occur much faster than the natural background extinction rate, stripping species of the time required for Darwinian adaptation.
As oceans absorb massive amounts of human-generated carbon dioxide, the resulting acidification lowers water pH and destroys vital marine ecosystems like coral reefs.
Global trade and travel have effectively merged the continents back into a single landmass, exposing native organisms to deadly foreign pathogens and invasive competitors.