Elizabeth Kolbert’s piece The Sixth Extinction immediately introduces us to the cataclysmic events that have shaped our world, and our own fragile place within it. As a highly regarded American journalist and a “visiting fellow of Williams College”, she is known worldwide as an expert in the topic of climate change (New Yorker). The Sixth Extinction challenges us to start at the beginning of our planets history, before the arrival of the very first human beings. We see how their migration started only a short time ago. Kolbert forces us to redefine our sense of time, as it is not the human lifespan in which change is measured but tens of millions of years. She tells us how there have been “five major mass extinctions during the history of …show more content…
Both works send a strong ecological message to the reader, and show us the tenuous but tenacious place that humans occupy within the world. “Under the hot, brilliant blue sky”, readers are first introduced to the idea that flooding in Miami is unfortunately a normal occurrence (Kolbert). We are confronted with “water gushing down the road into an underground garage” (Kolbert). What caught my attention was that nobody was panicking- it has become an everyday occurrence in Miami that something somewhere will flood. Kolbert talks about how at the end of the century, sea levels could rise by as much as three feet. This would be a complete disaster for the city of Miami, and also other coastal cities across the world. Entire towns would be flooded, and billions of dollars would be lost. We also have to consider the human factor- where would we relocate the people who have lost everything they had? In the case of The Sixth Extinction, we saw how before our modern era the only way to survive was by remaining in tune with the earth and by living off the land. However with the development of modern technologies we are introduced to new ways to grow and sustain life- but at what cost? We saw how costal cities such as Miami are undergoing extreme shifts, and in the very near future they could become completely deserted due to the increased amount of flooding. Nonetheless, nobody seems to realize that humans are the ones who have caused this extreme
In this book, Kolbert travels to many places to find out what is happening with global warming. Quite often she ran into the same fear at the places she went, the fear for loss before the next generation. When she went to Alaska, many people were fleeing from their homes because the sea ice surrounding them, creating a buffer zone for storms, was melting and that was causing houses to just be swept away.
Martin is confident that the extinctions must have been caused by “something outside the normal experience of mammals.”
Michael Crichton was an amazing novelist who penned numerous literary works that has impacted today’s societies. In his book, State of Fear, an eBook extra presents a speech given by him called, Why Speculate? Aspects of this speech show the reader that he disapproves of the ways that the media speculates and creates a public that is misinformed about the events of the world. Upon further elaboration, the reader can become aware that Michael Crichton is a critic of global warming, and believes it is nothing more than media speculation. The key idea of the book was the debate of global warming and bioterrorism. Global warming and the emission of greenhouse gases is a concept heavily found in the curriculum, as a student analyzes how different
“If you want to think about why humans are so dangerous to other species, you can picture a poacher in Africa carrying and Ak-47/ better still, you can picture yourself, holding a book on your lap” (Kolbert 266). This excerpt alone sets up the dark narrative that lies within The Sixth Extinction. It is uncomfortable to think about the impact that humans have on the environment on a global scale; however, it is nearly unbearable to recognize individual actions such as reading a book, directly contribute to the devastation of the earth.
One of the remarkable Tim Flannery’s contributions to society is the fact that he raises an awareness of climate change so that people think climate change regards as clime catastrophe. In the book, The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change, Tim Flannery warned carefully and rationally to skeptical people on climate change. These people believe that increase of temperature on the earth is simply natural phenomenon since temperature has not been constant in whole history of the earth. Tim describes that this belief has tended to put the earth severe stage. In accordance with Gaia theory, this planet is an organism to purify by itself, but human being is likely to force it to lead to disaster. Tim explains that humans have been living in glacial epoch that the average temperature is approximately 14 Celsius and even rise of 1 Celsius will bring us anomalous situation (Flannery 2006, p.11). He warns that the temperature change will make difficult environment to survive in the earth. As Tim Flannery has well-informed academic knowledge about zoology and sufficient field experience, especially in Papua New Guinea, he explains wide various
On a day to day basis, most people take for granted the lives we get to live, and put too much value on the extra things such as materialistic items. Also, the majority of humans are too invested in their personal lives or with themselves that they do not look at the big picture of how what we are doing now will effect us later. As humans, the routines in our lives can bring us harm, and within time a we may become the sixth extinction. In “The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert, she gives many examples of animals that are or may become extinct. Along with ways humans contribute to the effort of putting them in danger or having them become extinct. In the end having a summary of how this all comes together and impacts us humans in more
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History details the continued loss of biodiversity that has occurred since the rise of mankind. Elizabeth Kolbert claims that we are now in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, and that, if precautionary measures are not taken, the loss of biodiversity would be catastrophic. Chapter one begins by describing the golden frogs in the town of El Valle de Antón, and how they were beginning to disappear. The frogs disappeared due to a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This fungus has spread around the world at a lightning-quick rate, killing all sorts of amphibious organisms at an unnatural rate. The cause of the rapid spreading of the fungus has been theorized to be due to humans inadvertently spreading
By using the information found in this book, I will be able to write about the severity of the ongoing issue of climate change. With all the dangerous effects of climate change Kahrl and Roland-Holst point out on just a single state, it becomes clear that other places around the world are experiencing the same. In fact, since Cali...
In recent decades, the contentious issues surrounding climate change and the corresponding effects it likely exerts upon contemporary civilization has developed to become one of the most pressing areas of concern afflicting humanity (Armstrong, 1). Currently, climate change has started to demonstrate its potentially calamitous consequences upon human subsistence practices, and has even begun to alter the very environments that entire societies reside in, theoretically endangering them in both instances (Armstrong, 1). Though the hindrances inherent in climate change are potentially devastating to the preservation of modern society, the problem of climate change itself is not one that is exclusive to the contemporary era. Rather, the harmful
In, The Fate of the Earth by, Jonathan Schell, he starts with the extinction of dinosaurs then moves onto how it’s not possible to judge on human extinction. He also talks about how the extinction of animals and how we have learned from our mistakes. He states how we live, then we die. And how different catastrophes could kill everyone or how they could slowly become extinct from those catastrophes. He mainly talks about population and how the extinction of human beings and once we are extinct we are done.
For a majority of people, it isn’t new news that the Earth’s climate is changing and increasingly getting warmer. For quite some time now, people have been arguing about what the actual causes are and what role humans have played in the current condition of the earth. A good bit of people seem to be in agreement that due to the actions of humans, the earth’s climate is increasingly getting worse and that if things don’t change, than everyone living on earth will be facing the consequences. However, this is not entirely true. The fault of climate change does not fall solely on the shoulders of mankind, but on the earth as well.
The first part of this essay discusses what the human species has done to deal with the problem of climate change. While some improvements have been made, the problem has not been addressed aggressively enough to stop the damage. What is amazing about this is the denial of so many people that problems exist. If they do realize the risks, they are simply not taking actions to contain the damage.
Examining the impact of these films, as a result, can generate further data on the practice of these films as fundamental components of the conservation toolbox. Racing Extinction and Mission Blue are environmental documentaries based on the ongoing Anthropogenic mass extinction of species and the efforts from scientists, activists, and journalists to create and display contemporary campaigns to display its components and solutions. Each film portrays particular ideas on the various aspects of the Anthropogenic extinction and era. Racing Extinction focuses on implications of globalization, overexploitation, and animal agriculture as leading causes of extinction while Mission Blue documents the story behind legendary biologists, environmentalists, and explorers and their efforts to portray the devastation in certain areas around the globe as well as their campaign to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries, or Hope Spots. By applying these films to David Whiteman’s model and examining statistical data surrounding their ideas, I will determine their overall effect on environmental issues in desperate need of attention. As critically acclaimed films produced by Oscar winning directors like Louie Psihoyos they will serve as ideal models for their impact and the need for future use of similar
Despite the controversy created by the film’s many inaccuracies and exaggerations, The Day After Tomorrow possesses some geological significance. Exaggerated it may be, it has created a lasting impact on the general population worldwide by increased the overall awareness of the possible consequences of man-made global warming. The popularization and dramatization of the scientific issue has successfully promoted awareness, although not necessarily understanding, of global warming-related matters. At the release of the film, many scientists expressed hopes that the increased attention on the topic would result in progressive global warming discussions. In fact,...
The earth has experienced climate change for the entirety of its existence. For billions of years, this change has occurred at a relatively slow pace, with exceptions being caused by events such as large scale volcanic eruptions. Now, humans are the cause for high rates of climate change and damage to the environment. This is beginning to have damaging effects on not only us, but the world around us, and we are only just started to take action. Efforts to reduce climate change would be more realized if not for the resistance of many due to misconceptions, money, and a reluctance to change. Short- and long-term solutions are being developed by the brightest minds, but they will not work without