A new report by the UN says that we only have ten years to stop the full extent of the Sixth Mass Extinction.
As a result, the UN has revealed a draft plan to stop the full effects of the Earth's Sixth Mass extinction from happening by 2030.
What Is The Sixth Mass Extinction?
The Earth is already in a Sixth Mass Extinction event.
Already, the Earth has seen a total of five mass extinction events in its history. The most famous of these extinction events is the extinction event which killed of the dinosaurs. That extinction event is known as the 'Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event' and it happened 66 million years ago.
Today's extinction event is known as the 'Holocene extinction event', which is a current ongoing extinction event. Species today are being wiped out 1000 times faster than the normal rate of extinction, it's mainly caused by humans through destroying the natural world.
A report out by the UN last year showed that humans are destroying the natural world at such an alarming rate that one million species are now at risk of extinction, and many of them are at risk of extinction in the next few decades. This would be catastrophic for the natural world and humans.
The UN's draft plan aims to stop the worst affects of the Sixth Mass Extinction which are predicted to take place in the next few years and decades.
We already have been in this Sixth Mass Extinction for some time now, as we have been seeing species becoming extinct for centuries now. But it seems to have got worst over the last few decades, with not only many species becoming extinct, but also many others becoming endangered and critically endangered species, which means that they are very vulnerable to extinction.
In the 20th century, many notable animals became extinct, such as: the Caspian Tiger, the Barbary Lion and the Passanger Pigeon.
And, even though we have only been in the 21st century for a short period of time, we have already seen many wild animals becoming extinct. Among the animals that have already became extinct in the 21st century include: the Yangzte River Dolphin, the Yangtze Giant Softshell Tortoise, the Blue Macaw and the Chinese Large Paddlefish.
There are also many more species right now which are critically endangered or endangered, and therefore, these species are vulnerable to extinction. One of the animals who are on the brink of extinction today is the Northern White Rhino. The last male Northern White Rhino died in 2018, and today there are only two female Northern White Rhinos. The likelihood is that these unique animals will become extinct within the near future.
Northern White Rhinos are not alone in being on the brink of extinction, there are many more species on the brink of extinction - including animals and plants. Many are very vulnerable to extinction due to their very low population.
If we are to stop mass extinctions from happening in the near future - such as within the next few months, years and decades - then we need to act now. We need to take serious conservation efforts, which partly includes preserving the last of nature that is still standing, and it also partly includes rewilding.
If we don't take urgent action to protect nature and wild animals, then we will see many species and wild animals becoming extinct within our lifetime. Some of these wild animals may even be very notable ones: such as Tigers.
The future of the natural world is in our hands.
We can preserve nature and wild animals, but time is not on our side, we need to act now if we are going to stop mass extinctions in the near future.