From the introduction of Endangered by Mitch Tobin (Fulcrum Publishing):
Species have always come and gone. More than 99 percent that have inhabited the earth have disappeared forever, so extinction is nothing new. But what’s happening today is different. Scientists believe the current rate of extinction may be 1,000 times faster than the pace that prevailed before humans entered the scene. The estimates are necessarily fuzzy because biologists still know precious little about the plants and animals around us, let alone the efficacy of our assault upon them. Researchers have identified nearly 1.8 million species, but less than one-tenth of those are well understood, and the total number of species may be in the tens of millions, most of them insects. The cruel irony is that we have entered a golden age of species discover, with science and technology able to unveil thousands of new microbes, plants, and animals every year. On average, we name about two new species every hour—and drive another three extinct.
A dire situation threatens to get much worse. Climate change, which is already transforming the planet, could trigger the greatest spasm of extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs 65.5 million years ago, when an asteroid struck near the Yucatán Peninsula and three-quarters of the planet’s species died out. There is little doubt that we are in the early days of the earth’s sixth great extinction event, with some scientists predicting that one-third or more of all species will be gone by the end of the 21st century if emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases continue to increase. Even under optimistic projections, rising levels of carbon dioxide will continue to acidify the oceans and harm the base of the marine food chain, while higher water temperatures will wipe out the coral reefs that harbor tremendous biodiversity. With enough warming, the Arctic ice that polar bears depend on will melt and rising seas will swallow up the homes of coastal and island species. Around the world, more-extreme storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires could create deadly synergies with the other traditional threats—habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, hunting—that have already pushed so many plants and animals to the brink.
The Utne Reader praised, “Tobin knows so much about the ESA (Endangered Species Act) that it’s easy to understand why he’s a consultant to environmental groups…This kind of deep, resource-intensive reporting is itself an endangered species.”
Author Mitch Tobin worked as a journalist from 1999 to 2006, covering wildlife, wildfires, and other environmental issues for the Tucson Citizen, Arizona Daily Star, and High Country News. Endangered grew out of Tobin’s yearlong series on Arizona’s endangered species, which was a finalist for the John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism. His work was honored in the Best of the West competition and received first prizes from the Arizona Press Club and Arizona Associated Press Managing Editors. Today, Tobin serves as a consultant to leading conservation groups and foundations.
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