Climate change and extinction
Scientific and historical examination of the extinction of different ecological organisms indicates that human activities have played a significant role in recent extinctions. However, earlier forms of recent extinctions such as the Pleistocene suggest that climate change could also have been a substantial contributor to the ecological phenomenon. However, evidence from Islands like New Zealand and Madagascar shows that since the arrival of humans in the Islands about 1000 years ago, several ecological extinctions have occurred (Sam Noble Museum, 2017). Human activities cause the extinction of several organisms from their ecological habitats in three specific ways. First, they cause extinction through overexploitation in the form of hunting and fishing. The clearing of land for farming and human settlement has also led to the disappearance of several species of organisms from their ecological habitats (Barbier, Burgess & Folke, 2019). Additionally, human being’s genetic modifications of different plants and animals have also led to the extinction of some plant and animal species.
Economic growth is the epicenter of human activities. In essence, all human activities in one or the other are aimed at achieving some form of economic prosperity. However, in the process of facilitating economic growth, human activities have led to the extinction of some biological organisms from the earth’s surface. The current global environment is driven by the desire to attain economic prosperity. However, in the process of achieving economic growth, human activities clear vegetation, destroy habitats both directly and indirectly (Frank & Schlenker, 2016). Direct impacts of human activities on extinction occur through the clearing of land for the establishment of settlements and economic growth drivers such as industries. The indirect effect of human activities occurs through the release of toxic or dangerous human waste that is likely to harm biological organisms. Therefore, economic growth impacts extinctions indirectly through human activities.
References
Barbier, E. B., Burgess, J. C., & Folke, C. (2019). Paradise lost?: The ecological economics of biodiversity. Routledge.
Extinctions in the recent past and the present day. (2017). SamNoble Museums. Accessed on August 15, 2016, athttp://samnoblemuseum.ou.edu/understanding-extinction/extinctions-in-the-recent-past-and-the-present-day/
Frank, E. G., & Schlenker, W. (2016). Balancing economic and ecological goals. Science, 353(6300), 651-652.