The Earth is now entering its sixth mass extinction. And this time, humans are the cause. The air is dry, the solid is cracked. And the buzz of the bees that were used to it has disappeared. From pollinators disappearing to dying coral reefs, climate change is accelerating the collapse of biodiversity faster than ever. The characteristic of the crisis is that it is not just speed; it is witnessing the process in real time.
A global hush is falling across the globe. Some scientists predict that Earth faces a “sixth mass extinction,” this time of species, driven by humans, not rock-hurling meteorites. The demolition is creeping, but it’s right before us.
Insects with moist skins, bees and butterflies, are declining in populations because of the rise in temperatures and proliferation of pesticide pollution. A third of what we eat is linked to these critters. If these insects disappear, everyday foods such as apples, coffee, and vegetables can turn into ‘luxury.’
Under the sea, more brutal things happened. Coral reefs that once shone are bleached to white and dying. More than half of the Great Barrier Reef has disappeared since the 1990s. Fishermen’s nets are becoming empty as fish that relied on coral move to colder waters.
Forests are suffering, too. Wildfires in the Amazon and Canada get bigger and longer every year, trees burn to death, and the Earth loses its lungs. As the carbon-absorbing forest disappears, the temperatures in the air become warmer.
But even in utter despair, there is a movement of restoration. Coastal villages in Southeast Asia re-plant mangrove forests, and young people make wildflower fields to return bees. These are small and slow actions, but they come together and become threads to sew the damaged Earth.
This endangered species is not just a matter of nature. It is a story that is directly related to human survival. When the honeybees disappear, so does the breakfast, and when the coral reefs die, the future of fishermen disappears.
The Earth is not completely silent yet. The rest of life asks us, “Can you still have a choice to live differently?” Enough to hear the bees again, enough to breathe again. The answer is the fate of Earth, and it will be ours.
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