asteroid-impact theory by providing a location where the asteroid may actually have landed.
6. Believe it or not, we are currently in the middle of a sixth mass extinction. The current rate at which animals are going extinct is anywhere between 100 and 10,000 times greater than the normal extinction rate, a mere 10 to 25 species per year. What sets # 6 from its 5 predecessors, however, is the fact that this mass extinction is the result of human activity. The most obvious harmful side effects of human behaviors are pollution and habitat destruction. Less obvious are the negative impacts of the introduction of invasive species and the mere fact that there are too many humans on the planet. These effects are indirect, byproducts of“ normal” human activities, but human contributions to extinction are direct as well: over-harvesting is also a growing issue. Plants and animals are hunted, fished, and gathered for consumption, but also for pleasure; deer are hunted for trophies on the wall, elephants are hunted for ivory, exotic animals are hunted for pets, minks are hunted for fur coats.
Debate rages, however, concerning climate change. Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental issues, for it is causing the melting of our polar ice caps, as well as the extinction of hundreds of species as habitats become degraded or unsuitable due to unnatural temperatures. Many argue that climate change is human-induced, due to the high amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. Others, however, argue that climate change is a natural occurrence, and everything is as nature had intended. Undeniably, whether caused by human impact or by natural cause, climate change is provoking the rapid extinction of species on our planet.
natural or man-made?
26 VOGUE JUNE 2013