The Dire Message of “The Sixth Extinction”
“The Sixth Extinction” is generally known as a book that is fundamental to modern environmental science. So, naturally, after I finished reading “Silent Spring”, I looked to this book for my next reading.
The first thing I noticed is that the author of the book, Elizabeth Kolbert, takes a different approach than Rachel Carson, the revolutionary author behind “Silent Spring”. While Carson seems to use imagery to appeal to the reader’s emotions, which in turn highlights the message presented, Kolbert seems to lean more on facts, even going so far as to host interviews and travel to distant locations to gather information to include in her writing. Apart from the apparent difference that “Silent Spring” focuses on the negative and widespread effects of industrial pollution and emissions, whereas Kolbert’s book is centered around the scientific examination of past, and possibly current, extinction events, they also notably differ in other ways in terms of the topics addressed. Carson’s book focuses more on the diminishing numbers of animals, which makes it come across more as a call to environmental action. However, while Kolbert’s book touches on this, it delves more into the technical aspects of how this loss of animals can lead to species extinction and therefore biodiversity loss, including human induction and specifically how it is being carried out.
With regard to purely “The Sixth Extinction”, I found it interesting how the topics and theories addressed are relatively new, as is the data Kolbert incorporates to show some of their more fine aspects to the reader. For instance, the disappearance of vast numbers of multiple native native frogs, most notably those belonging to the Panamanian Golden Frog species, has only been documented recently, after a student researcher discovered the population decline in 1993. The statistics that the author provides with regard to how the frogs are being taken care of in facilities and the numbers of frogs that are dying in the wild due to the introduced species of fungus are also relatively new, having been recorded from her interviews with field researchers, and having only recently been published at the time of the book’s publication. Additionally, Kolbert also brings up how the theory of extinction is newer than one might think, and that breakthroughs in similar theories are still being made. Due to the cutting-edge nature of the information presented in the book, it does not come as a surprise that it is widely read by those wanting to learn more about the current dynamics of the diminishing state of biodiversity and mass species convergence, called “global homogenization” by the author, and has been critically acclaimed for doing so.
And finally, while Kolbert acknowledges the efforts made by some individuals to reduce such loss of biodiversity, she also exemplifies how humans generally display little to no effort in protecting species. For instance, she brings up how a small group of Icelandic hunters killed the last two surviving Great Auks without second thought, then proceeded to sell the birds for about nine dollars. This raises questions about how informed on biodiversity and the harmful effects of overhunting really are, as, despite the year having been 1844, the group was supposed to have been informed on which birds to kill and which not to. Another good example of the need for further human effort to preserve biodiversity is in Kolbert’s writing about her trip to the San Diego Zoo. She mentions how, despite the zoo’s best efforts, the last of the or po’ouli birds died in 2004, and that the zoo has resorted to cryogenically freezing parts of the bodies, in hope that they will be able to revive the species from the DNA samples in the future. She also notes that this is not the only bird species to have gone through this process, with more and more remains of the members of newly extinct species being added to such storage facilities each year. This is especially interesting to me because the San Diego Zoo is located close to me, and learning about local events concerning biodiversity loss is something that I find crucial. I have also recently joined my school’s biodiversity awareness club, and due to this, I have been able to learn more about why species divergence is vital, and have taken more interest in staying informed on current events that could shape the future of biodiversity.
What I have found in “The Sixth Extinction”, as well as through my other reading and involvement, is that we need to do a better job of protecting species and making careful plans as to making any developments that may alter the course of nature. It is vital to do this so as to prevent further species introduction, to undo what the harmful effects of mass convergence, and to maintain the ecosystem services that benefit our species. By carefully analyzing all aspects of our interactions with the environment, we can look to a better future for other species and biodiversity.
