An extinction or biotic crisis is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the abundance of multicellular organisms. Most biologists agree there have been five mass extinction events in history, with the most well-known occurring 66 million years ago, when the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid.
However, Professor Katrin Meissner, Director of the Climate Research Centre, in Australia, believes we are deep in the sixth, and it may be too late to turn back.
Speaking during Amazon Primes “The Next Great Extinction Event” last year, she explained how the planet will be affected.
She said: “For humans, I think we are very vulnerable right now and there’s a lot of humans on this Earth.
“We all depend on a few, several belts, a few regions that produce most of our food.
“We depend on water.
“With changing climates, preoccupation patterns will change and temperature will, of course, change.
“These structures put in place over the last 20 years, will they work? I think that’s highly questionable.”
Dr Meissner claimed we may be able to slow the process, but potentially it is too late to stop the inevitable.
She added: “On top of that, we will see sea levels rise and all these things will still happen if we stop emitting right now.
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“It’s not the normal background extinction rate, the fact that every one of us has seen many species going extinct during our lifetimes.
“That really shouldn’t be the case, so yes, I would say so.”
However, the planet’s fate may be sealed much sooner, if precaution is not taken.
The ESA has warned of a “mountain in the sky” asteroid which is plunging towards the Blue Planet.
Didymos 65803 is a binary asteroid which has been classified as a potential hazard by NASA – meaning it could crash into Earth in the future.
The 775-metre space rock is orbited by a smaller 160-metre-wide moon and has the potential to wipe out a city, according to calculations.
In November, European space ministers are set to back the HERA project – humanity’s first mission to orbit the double asteroid and dispatch two smaller drones – named CubeSats – in an attempt to figure out how to deflect it.
Astrophysicist and Queen guitarist Brian May revealed the plans during a promotional video on their YouTube last month.
He said: “The dinosaurs couldn’t stop it, but we humans have the benefit of knowledge and science on our side.
“Right now, all we have is many years of research and theories, but HERA will revolutionise our understanding of asteroids and how to protect ourselves from them.”
