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Causes

Causes of Extinction include hunting, over-fishing, habitat loss, over-population, climate change, global warming, pollution and more.

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Preserving the genetic diversity of ancient trees

Even as we discover the incredible benefits of the world's most ancient trees, we are losing them to climate change.

In 2005, several of the centuries-old ponderosa pine trees on my 15 acres (0.06 sq km) of forest in the northern Rocky Mountains in Montana suddenly died. I soon discovered they were being brought down by mountain pine beetles, pernicious killers the size of the eraser on a pencil that burrow into the tree.

The next year the number of dying trees grew exponentially. I felt powerless and grief-stricken as I saw these giant, sky-scraping trees fading all around me, realising there was nothing I could do to stop it.

While the native bugs were the proximate cause, the underlying reason for the unprecedented mortality in my home state and throughout the Rockies was that winters had stopped getting really cold. When I first moved to Montana in the late 1970s, temperatures of -34C (-30F) or even below -40C (-40F) were common in winter, sometimes for weeks at a time. The coldest temperature on record in Montana is –57C (-70F). These days wintertime minimum temperatures rarely get below -18C (0F) or so. If they do, it is usually just for a day or two. That's not nearly cold enough to kill pine beetles, which make their own natural antifreeze.

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20% of Reptiles Threatened - 2022

One in five reptiles is threatened with extinction, according to the first comprehensive assessment of more than 10,000 species across the world.

Scientists are calling for urgent conservation action for crocodiles and turtles, which are in a particularly dire situation.

They say reptiles have long been overlooked in conservation, because they are seen as less charismatic than "furry and feathery" creatures.

So far, 31 species have gone extinct.

The study, published in Nature, took more than 15 years to complete, because of problems getting funding for the work.

"Reptiles to many people are not charismatic and there's been a lot more focus on more furry, feathery species of vertebrates for conservation," said Dr Bruce Young of the international nature organisation, NatureServe.

- The venomous king cobra is in decline because of deforestation and human persecution

- Geckos are vanishing in parts of the world due to wildlife trade

- The mugger crocodile: Threatened by habitat destruction and human conflict

- Jamaican iguana: Reptiles on islands face risks from invasive species and sea level rise

Despite their low publicity profile, the cold-blooded vertebrates play an essential role in the balance of life.

"Reptiles are good for people because they help control pests such as insects and rodents," said Prof Blair Hedges of Temple University in Philadelphia, US.

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Chemicals

Chemical pollution and waste is now found everywhere on Earth - from the Artic to the Antartic. From Mount Everest to the bottom of the seas. Chemical pollution ends up in the food chain, and in our drinking water. Chemical pollution kills and damages myriad species and forms of life, and it is believed to be a cause of cancer in humans.

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Toxic 'forever chemicals' found in British otters

Toxic "forever chemicals" used in non-stick saucepans and food packaging have been found in otters across England and Wales, according to a study.

The substances, called PFASs, are also used in waterproof clothing, stain resistant products and fire retardants.

The chemicals are linked to pregnancy complications, liver disease, cancer and other illnesses.

Scientists say concentrations of these compounds in otters are a guide to levels of pollution in the environment.

The substances can leach out from products, getting into drains and sewage treatment works - from which they can then escape and contaminate the environment more widely.

PFAS substances are present in farmland sludge, which can wash from fields into rivers. Factories and landfill sites are another source for the chemicals.

Denmark recently banned their use in food packaging paper.

Used since the late 1940s, PFAS chemicals - which are divided into compounds called perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyls - help to make products water, grease and stain resistant.

They are known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily in the environment. They contaminate fish, which can then be ingested by animals and humans. PFAS compounds can also get directly into drinking water.

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Plastics

Plastic waste is now found everywhere on Earth - from the Artic to the Antartic. From Mount Everest to the bottom of the seas. Plastic pollution ends up in the food chain, and in our drinking water. Plastic pollution kills and damages myriad species and forms of life.

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Overdevelopment = Habitat Loss

Human overpopulation leads to overdevelopment of the natural world. Human overdevelopment of the natural world causes terrible damage to Nature, the Earth and the environment. It causes habitat loss, which causes all forms of life to become extinct - plants, animals, insects, as well as human populations. This habitat loss, along with pollution causes critical losses of genetic biodiversity and threatens our very survival on planet earth.

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Greenhouse Gases = Global Warming

Greenhouse gases are caused by burning fossil fuels like coal, crude oil, refined petrol products like gasoline, petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, heating oil and natural gas. Greenhouse Gases cause Global Warming which causes habitat loss and extinction of species. It must be stopped!

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World's wilderness reduced by a tenth since 1990s - 2015

wilderness lost from 1993 to 2015 worldwide
wilderness lost from 1993 to 2015 worldwide

A tenth of the world's wilderness has vanished in the past two decades, research shows. New maps show "alarming losses" of pristine landscapes, particularly in South America and Africa, according to World Conservation Society scientists. They argue in Current Biology that wild areas are ignored in international conservation agreements, despite their ecological and cultural value.

About 20% of the world's land area is classed as wilderness. By this, scientists mean landscapes free of large-scale human disturbances such as housing, development and industry. The majority of these untouched spaces are found in North America, north Asia, north Africa and Australia. They are often home to indigenous peoples as well as endangered plants and animals.

James Watson of the University of Queensland, Australia, and the US Wildlife Conservation Society in New York said wilderness areas "are completely ignored in environmental policy". "International policy mechanisms must recognise the actions needed to maintain wilderness areas before it is too late," said Prof Watson. "We probably have one to two decades to turn this around."

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Billion people face global flooding risk

A British aid charity is warning that by 2060 more than a billion people worldwide will live in cities at risk of catastrophic flooding as a result of climate change. A study by Christian Aid says the US, China and India are among the countries most threatened. It says the Indian cities of Kolkata and Mumbai will be most at risk. The eight most vulnerable cities on the list are all in Asia, followed by Miami in the US. The report urges governments to take action to reduce global warming and invest in disaster reduction programmes. Dr Alison Doig, the report's author, told the BBC World Service that people living in large coastal cities were particularly at risk. "I think it's cities like Kolkata, Dakar, the big mega-cities of the south and the emerging economies where the people are most vulnerable to exposure to sea-level rises and to higher rain events," she said. "Flooding in these cities can cause massive damage, but can also threaten life." Dr Doig warned that Florida was likely to suffer extensive flooding. "The whole of Florida is totally vulnerable," she said. "It is so low-lying, it is virtually swampland reclaimed. So significant climate change... raising water half to a full metre this century, will take out an awful lot of Florida and a significant amount of Miami." The study says that the priority should be to rapidly reduce carbon emissions and limit temperature increase by switching from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy.

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