Re: 鈥淭hese species went extinct in 2018, more doomed to follow,鈥� Jan. 6.
The author of this article claims that we are facing a 鈥渟ixth great extinction鈥� based on loss of species in 2018. Indeed, he states that extinctions are 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than the natural 鈥渂ackground鈥� rate of one to five species a year, to the point where an estimated 1,000 species have gone extinct in the past 500 years.
Let鈥檚 do the math on this, based on the writer鈥檚 own figures. The 鈥渘atural鈥� extinction rate, according to the article, is one to five species a year. If 1,000 species have gone extinct in the past 500 years, that鈥檚 two species per year, well within the limits of 鈥渘atural鈥� extinction and a far, far cry from the claimed extinction rate of 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate.
Yes, humans are causing extinctions, and quite likely at a rate higher than nature. But a 鈥渟ixth great extinction鈥�? This article is yet another eco-pessimist attempt to get a scary headline without the facts to back it up.
Paul MacRae
Victoria
