{"id":25811,"date":"2021-01-27T10:57:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T14:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=25811"},"modified":"2021-02-06T15:45:59","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T19:45:59","slug":"the-sixth-extinction-quotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-sixth-extinction-quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sixth Extinction Quotes by Elizabeth Kolbert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Looking for The Sixth Extinction<\/a><\/em> quotes by Elizabeth Kolbert? What are some of the key messages from the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sixth Extinction<\/em> is a non-fiction book written by journalist Elizabeth Kolbert where she explores the history of extinction events<\/a>. The following The Sixth Extinction<\/em> quotes highlight some of the author’s key messages about the causes of mass species extinctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for The Sixth Extinction<\/em> quotes by Elizabeth Kolbert and what they mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Sixth Extinction<\/em> Quotes by Elizabeth Kolbert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe current extinction has its own novel cause: not an asteroid or a massive volcanic eruption but “one weedy species.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to Kolbert, the sixth extinction is different from the preceding species extinction events in that it is being caused not by a natural catastrophe, but by the activity of one “one weedy species\u201d<\/strong>, that is us\u2014humans. Among the first signs that our actions are leading to species extinction was the disappearance of amphibians beginning in the 1980s. Researchers in Panama first noticed that an iconic local species, the Golden Frog, was dying. Then they realized frogs were disappearing all over the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides amphibians, animals are in trouble everywhere. Among those suffering steep declines are reef-building corals, sharks, rays, fresh-water mollusks, reptiles, mammals, and birds. While different animals are disappearing for seemingly different immediate reasons, in every case you can ultimately trace the cause to humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe history of life thus consists of \u2018long periods of boredom interrupted occasionally by panic.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This quote is a metaphor for the current paradigm of extinction science which conceives of species extinction as the result of both gradual extinction due to evolution and sudden extinction caused by a calamity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOcean acidification is sometimes referred to as global warming\u2019s \u201cequally evil twin.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In terms of destructive effects, ocean acidification has been called global warming\u2019s \u201cevil twin.\u201d <\/strong>There are numerous reasons, which add up to a steep loss of marine biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n