Are we living through the sixth mass extinction?

1 Answer
Jan 22, 2017

Yes.

Explanation:

In 2015, biologists concluded that we have entered the sixth mass extinction event (see here).

Species naturally go extinct all of the time, but the rate at which species are going extinct presently is what makes this a mass extinction.

WWF graphic showing decline of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine populations:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/living-planet-report-2016

You can read more about this problem in WWF's 2016 Living Planet Report.