Future of the Environment

A sixth mass extinction is underway - and it's our fault

Greater Snow geese fly at the Cap Tourmente Wildlife area at St-Joachim, October 26, 2008. According to Environment Canada, at the beginning of the last century there was about 3,000 Greater Snow geese left and the population was on the verge on extinction. Therefore, the Canadian Wildlife Service set up the Cap Tourmente Wildlife area in 1969, one of many measures that helped to increase the number of Greater Snow geese to more than 800,000. REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger (CANADA) - RTX9YCE

Over the past 500 years, there have been four other mass extinctions on Earth, not including dinosaurs. Image: REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger

Alex Gray
Senior Writer, Formative Content
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Image: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
 Percentage of local population extinction in 177 species of mammals
Image: PNAS
Populations have declined by 38 per cent overall since 1970 Image: WWF Living Planet Report
A lioness walks along a road as visitors sit in their vehicles at Nairobi's National Park, Kenya. Image: REUTERS/Edmund Blair
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