The Last Mass Extinction

I've mentioned before that our oceans take unimaginable abuse and for the most part it's out of sight out of mind. I've also mentioned that it won't be long before we realize just how vital the ocean is to our survival.

If history has taught us anything, it's that it can repeat itself.

Approximately 250 million years ago, the world's oceans ran out of oxygen. One theory is that this was brought on by asteroid filled with "soccer ball-shaped molecules called "fullerenes" (or "buckyballs") with traces of helium and argon gas trapped inside" and about 9K wide colliding with the planet which then changed the climate of the earth.

To continue to quote the article referenced about, not all scientists agree on the details of the cause of the climate change but the general consensus is that the Great Dying was caused by the buildup of carbon dioxide both in the sea and on land.

Most people are familiar with the extinction of dinosaurs a mere 65 million years ago, however this is different. The Great Dying resulted in 90% of all species on the planet dying. That means 90% of all plants, animals, fish, insects, and life on this planet went extinct....forever (just thought I'd drive that home)

We are once again at a point where carbon dioxide is building up in our oceans and air at a rapid pace only this time it's done consciously by human beings.

Even if humans were to survive another great extinction, life would be drastically different for us and would take millions of years for an ecosystem to stabalize.

The point is that even though we're making a real effort to protect our oceans and eat sustainably, it's not enough. We need drastic change and we need it now. We simply cannot allow our leaders to continue to refuse to curb emissions not only because we want to protect their environment but because it is critical to our own survial.

Sharks: Helping Us Breathe Easy

I've been neglecting this blog lately but you can check out a piece I did on sharks here.