17/06/2020

Researchers Argue That Earth Is In The Midst Of A Modern, Human-Made, Sixth Extinction

Forbes - David Bressan

Bramble cay melomys Melomys rubicola. In 2016 declared extinct on Bramble cay, where it had been endemic, and likely also globally extinct, with habitat loss due to climate change being the root cause. State of Queensland

An estimated 99% of all species ever living on planet Earth are now extinct.

Extinction is part of life's history, and the extinction of single species happens all the time.

Over time lost species are eventually replaced as natural selection acts on the survivors, evolving new species. Mass extinctions in the geological record are defined by the loss of a large part of biodiversity in a (geologically speaking) short interval, like a few hundred to thousands of years.

Paleontologists recognize five big mass extinction events in the fossil record. At the end of the Ordovician, some 443 million years ago, an estimated 86% of all marine species disappeared. At the end of the Devonian, some 360 million years ago, 75% of all species went extinct.

 At the end of the Permian, some 250 million years ago, the worst extinction event so far happened, with an extinction rate of 96%. At the end of the Triassic, some 201 million years ago, 80% of all species disappeared from the fossil record.

The most famous mass extinction happened at the end of the Cretaceous, some 65 million years ago, when 76% of all species went extinct, including the dinosaurs.

Scientists are still debating the factors driving mass extinction. Factors contributing to the disappearance of a species can be natural disasters, like volcanism, meteorite impacts, or climate change, but also biological ones, like competition, diseases, or depletion of resources.

In the last 400 years, many mammal, bird, amphibian, and reptile species went extinct. Research comparing recent extinctions with past extinctions shows that the current extinction rate is higher than would be expected from the fossil record. Researchers argue that the Earth is in the midst of a modern, human-made, sixth extinction.

A newly published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science evaluated the extinction risk of 29,374 land-based vertebrates. The study identified 75 mammal, 335 bird, 41 reptile and 65 amphibian species on the brink of extinction, with populations of fewer than a thousand individuals.

More than half of the species on the list have fewer than 250 individuals remaining. The majority of these critically endangered animals are concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions, where biodiversity is highest.

Critically endangered species include the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus), one of the rarest mammals in the world, of which fewer than 100 individuals survive in the wild. Of New Zealand’s flightless, nocturnal, kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), only 200 individuals survive, after the introduction by humans of foreign predators, like rats, and habitat destruction caused a population crash.

According to a summary report from the United Nations, amphibians are among the most vulnerable group among vertebrates, with 40% of the studied species at risk of extinction. Most studies investigating drivers of extinction risk have focused on vertebrates. The conservation status of invertebrates is still poorly studied, and some estimates put 27% of known species are at risk. Recent surveys have also shown a dramatic decline in insect populations.

According to the report, only a quarter of Earth's surface is still largely untouched by humans, but human activities spread wide and fast. Even the most remote corners of Earth are no longer pristine, as plastic debris found on the bottom of the 36,000 feet (11.000 meters) deep Mariana Trench shows.

On June 14, 2016, the Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys rubicola) became the first mammal species to be declared extinct as a consequence of human-caused climate change. Living only on a vegetated coral reef located at the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, now inundated by rising sea-levels, living individuals have last been seen in 2009.

Humans contribute to the current extinction crisis by habitat destruction and fragmentation, poaching, illegal trade, overharvesting, the introduction of non-native and domesticated species into the wild, pathogens, pollution, and climate change. “The ongoing sixth mass extinction may be the most serious environmental threat to the persistence of civilization, because it is irreversible,” the authors of the most recent study write.

Links
at No comments:

(AU) This Sculpture Is A Mood Ring For The Great Barrier Reef

Grist - 

Jason deCaires-Taylor / Museum of Underwater Art   

How can we see the impact of rising ocean temperatures? For the residents of Townsville, a vibrant city on Queensland’s coast, a new public artwork just off their shores reminds them each day of the challenges facing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The enormously biodiverse reef, named a World Heritage Site in 1981, is unlike anywhere else on the planet — a serious drawcard for scientists, tourists, and divers, who flock to Australia for a chance to experience the world’s largest coral reef formation. But in recent years their flocking has taken on a new urgency. The Great Barrier Reef’s health — like that of coral reefs everywhere — is at risk from rising ocean temperatures, pollution, and coastal development.

When coral gets stressed by temperature fluctuations or sediment deposits, it can change from a vibrant-hued wonder to a sad white shade. Known as coral bleaching, this phenomenon was first recorded on the Great Barrier Reef on a massive scale in 1998 — which also happened to be the hottest summer in a century. It can take decades for coral to recover from this kind of bleaching (if it does at all).

But how to raise awareness of something that can’t be seen above water? Enter the “Ocean Siren.”

Underwater sculptor and conservationist Jason deCaires Taylor. Mario Chavez

Unveiled in late 2019 off Townsville’s Strand Jetty, the “Ocean Siren” sculpture changes color, reacting to the fluctuating water temperature on the Great Barrier Reef in real time. Made of welded plate stainless steel and translucent acrylic, it contains 202 internal LED lights that change color as the water heats up or cools down. Visitors can see it go from a dark blue to a lighter hue, then to yellow, orange, and finally a dark red — a distinct warning that the reef is in danger. Now.

The sculpture — modeled on local Wulgurukaba descendent and student Takoda Johnson — is the first installation of Queensland’s new Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA). It’s also the only part of the museum that’s visible above the surface. The MOUA’s other three sculpture gardens — featuring artworks made of nontoxic, pH-neutral marine-grade cement — are all anchored underwater.

Created by underwater sculptor and conservationist Jason deCaires Taylor and the Queensland government, it’s the first — and only — underwater art museum in the Southern Hemisphere.

To learn more about the sculpture and the nonprofit art museum — and to find out how one becomes an underwater sculptor — Atlas Obscura recently spoke with Taylor.

The “Coral Greenhouse” contains 20 “reef guardian” sculptures. As they become covered by coral, they’ll attract new marine life to the Great Barrier Reef. Richard Woodgett / Museum of Underwater Art

Q. How did you get involved in underwater sculpture?

A. I trained as a sculptor many years ago, and I used to work on public projects … I’d build a big exhibition, and then at the end of it, I’d have to pack it away, and store it. It all just seemed so wasteful, and it felt like it needed another reason to exist.

So when I realized that if I started working underwater, [my sculptures] would have this … secondary benefit of also creating a reef and encouraging marine life to inhabit them. I started around 2006. I think I’m approaching almost a thousand [underwater installations].

I [also] love the idea that these sculptures aren’t static. [They are] completely evolving, changing. And ultimately, nature is one of the best artists in the world.

Q. Can you explain how the concept for the “Ocean Siren” came about?

A. I think part of what’s happening in our underwater world is that it’s sort of forgotten and misunderstood. If we saw a forest that was on fire, degrading, I think we would be very quick to act. It would be right at the forefront of our minds. Whereas underwater, it’s out of sight and slightly forgotten … Yet major changes are happening [down there], and major ecosystems are being lost.

So I wanted to bring that threat right in front of our faces … and to convey in real time what’s happening.

The “Ocean Siren” is the only sculpture visible above the surface. The other installations—including this one—are made of marine-grade concrete and anchored to the seabed. Matt Curnock / Museum of Underwater Art

Q. What was it about Townsville that made it the perfect spot for the installation?

A. Townsville’s probably the marine science capital of the world. It has two huge marine institutions there: James Cook University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. It’s a great launchpad to the Great Barrier Reef.

Q.You worked with local student Takoda Johnson on the project, and used her as the model for the sculpture. What did you learn from working with her?

A. I was really fortunate to be able to find someone like her, who was willing to be part of the project, and she was wonderful.

I think she added a whole extra layer of connection to [the] place. [Her statue] looks out over the Great Barrier Reef, but she also looks out on Magnetic Island, which is where her great-grandfather is from. It really gave [the project] a personal connection, and a very important connection to indigenous lands rights.

Australia’s Museum of Underwater Art in Townsville, Queensland, is the first—and only—subaquatic art museum in the Southern Hemisphere. Matt Curnock / Museum of Underwater Art

Q. There are so many pressing environmental concerns for our planet at the moment. What role do you see art playing in raising awareness of these issues moving forward?

A. I think facts and figures are not enough to engage people. I think we’ve seen that around the world in many, many different things. Artists play such a vital role [in] conveying science [as] something that’s emotive.

There’s a very famous quote by [an environmentalist who] sort of said, “I used to think that the world’s problems were habitat loss, global warming, and species destruction.” And then he goes, “But then I realized that no — the greatest problems of the world are greed, apathy, and denial.”

People could walk past [the “Ocean Siren” sculpture] and instantly know what’s happening out [in the water]. The temperature logger for that piece is right out on Davies Reef, which is, I think, 50 kilometers [about 30 miles] away.

I quite like that direct connection to the underwater world.

Q. What do you hope visitors, after seeing the “Ocean Siren,” will take away from their experience?

A. Ultimately, I just want to convey that everything is connected. We’re all one big organism that is cyclical. I hope people [understand that] … what happens in the sea affects us directly, and affects our livelihoods, and the future of our species.

And I think [one] of the best ways to inspire people is to show them how incredible it is — and how important it is to continue to conserve it.

Links
at No comments:

Australian Writers Ponder Future Ravaged By Climate Change, Pandemic In Speculative Fiction Anthology After Australia

ABC Arts - Hannah Reich

The future imagined by Michelle Law in her short story is terrifying. (ABC Arts: Claudia Chinyere Akole)



Sydney 2050: Circular Quay has been overrun by mud-encrusted ibises, the city's skyscrapers are mostly underwater, ferries rot in the harbour, and the Sydney Opera House's iconic sails are tipped sideways.

A young woman of Chinese and Singaporean heritage — wearing special "outdoor clothes" that help her withstand intense heat and UV rays — is trying to get to her Mandarin class, while deciding what to do with her illegal pregnancy.

This is the vision of our future painted by playwright and screenwriter Michelle Law (Single Asian Female, Homecoming Queens) in her short story Bu Liao Qing.

Law's story appears in After Australia, a new anthology that brings together 12 Indigenous writers and writers of colour to speculate about Australia as we head towards 2050.

The anthology is edited by Michael Mohammed Ahmad, published in partnership with Diversity Arts Australia and in association with the Sweatshop Literacy Movement Inc. (Supplied: Affirm Press)

At the moment it's hard to imagine what Australia looks like next week, let alone in 30 years, but like all good speculative fiction, these writers' words have as much to tell us about our present as our future.

"This isn't where we want to end up or where we want to go," Law says of the dystopia of Bu Liao Qing.

"It's a word of warning to not take for granted the privileges we have, as a very lucky country."

'History repeats itself'

Law says her story came from "the intersection of climate change and the idea that younger people than me have been robbed of this right to choose [their future]".

She started writing her story before Australia's nightmare summer of bushfires.

"Then the fires happened and I was like, 'Oh my God, I've predicted the future,'" she says.

In Bu Liao Qing, rising sea levels have made the CBD uninhabitable, so wealthy white folk have "colonised" Western Sydney, pushing people of colour out to the fringes.

"Western Sydney is often looked upon as 'other' or as a place that mostly ethnic people live, but it's really become the centre of Sydney in this dystopian future," Law says.

Law describes her imagined future as a cross between The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale.

A key difference from both is how Law's story handles race, which is a factor that determines both the work people do and the way bodies are policed in her imagined future world.

"The hierarchy that already exists racially in Australia is even more pronounced in the future," Law says.

Law is now working on a small screen adaptation of her After Australia short story. (Supplied: Tammy Law)



Australia 2050 might sound like hell, but Law's story ends on a hopeful note, with the protagonist asserting some agency over her life and making a choice — to leave Australia in the same manner as her ancestors arrived, by boat.

"If I'm talking about 2020, 2050, or Australia in the 1880s — history really repeats itself," Law says.

She draws a line between a smallpox epidemic in Sydney in 1881-1882 that led to the vilification of Chinese immigrants, and racism against Asian Australians during COVID-19.

"So it's happening again," she says.

'I almost don't want to speculate anymore'

Poet Omar Sakr (The Lost Arabs) also found himself accidentally prognosticating in his short story White Flu.

Sakr started writing White Flu in early 2019 but it's set in the not-so-distant future.

The story is about a pandemic, but this one appears to be "particularly fatal" for white people.

Sakr says his story was partly inspired by the white supremacist conspiracy theory of "white genocide".

"I asked myself the question, 'What would happen if their myth actually became real in some fashion and white people were dying en masse?'"


In Sakr's satirical short story, the pandemic is in the background as the protagonist Jamal — a queer Muslim who Sakr describes as "adjacent" to himself — has his own dramas to contend with.

"I wanted to mirror how white people respond to the devastations that occur and that they inflict upon brown and black people regularly."

Sakr says that growing up he would see "Arab faces on news screens"; the victims of massacres, bombings or invasions overseas, or racist events at home.
"I've never understood how we just all get up and go to work the next day … I wanted to really come at that apathy in this story and be like, 'Yeah, white people are dying in the background.'"
The story includes references to swine flu, Ebola and Zika, and Sakr points out how quickly those viruses — and now COVID-19 — were racialised.

"When it awfully started to happen [again] … I felt like my story was coming to life in a really eerie and creepy way," Sakr says.

In White Flu, Sakr describes a mass migration from the West to Asia and Africa as white people attempt to flee the pandemic, mirroring recent border closures in response to COVID-19.

"I almost don't want to speculate anymore … I don't want to see that kind of coincidence again," says the author.

"I thought I was being extreme in the story, but I'm not. I'm just reflecting what is very real and very present in this world," Sakr says. (Supplied: Tyler Aves)

While the release of the opening paragraph of White Flu led to Sakr receiving death threats and violently racist comments on his social media, he is now working on a novelisation of the story, a "speculative memoir" that will be published by Affirm Press.

Bad characters and bad laws

Noongar writer Claire G. Coleman has built a career from speculative fiction, exploring our country's future and our past in her acclaimed debut Terra Nullius as well as her latest book, The Old Lie.

In Ostraka, her contribution to After Australia, we meet a character in an island detention centre who has been left stateless as a result of an Australian law introduced in 2039.

"A lot of my writing is about universalising the experience of minorities for the mainstream to understand them better, so I had this idea of mainstreaming how refugees are treated," Coleman explains.

The Ostraka Law "allows people of bad character to be ostracised", and is a reference to the ancient Athenian practice of ostracism — expulsion from the city for 10 years — as well as the stripping of Australian citizenship from Islamic State fighter Neil Prakash.

"I'm trying to warn people that if you allow the government to do whatever they want, the next time they might do it to you," Coleman says. (Supplied: Jen Dainer)



Coleman kept the language around what constitutes a "bad character" deliberately vague in her story and we never learn why the protagonist has been stripped of their citizenship.

"There's a lot of power in letting people make their own assumptions about what you mean," she says.

Coleman says that when a law lacks clarity it can easily be manipulated by the government and legal system.

"The thing in Australia is that mainstream people think that bad things can't happen to them — and that's ludicrous, anyone can suffer from a bad law," Coleman says.

Beyond warning about government powers and corrupt laws and punishment, Coleman is packing a few more messages into her short story.

"It's also about the dangers of hate, because hate is toxic to people who hate, as well as the people who are hated."

Flipping the narrative

More and more First Nations writers are turning their hands to speculative fiction, with writers like Coleman, Ambelin Kwaymullina (who is also a contributor to After Australia) and Alexis Wright masterfully writing alternative, Indigenous futures.

"A lot of Indigenous people have a lot to say, and having a method like speculative fiction gives us the power to say it," Coleman says.

When asked about the value of speculative fiction for writers of colour, Sakr cites anthropologist Ghassan Hage's concept of "white worry" from his 1998 book White Nation: Fantasies of White Supremacy in a Multicultural Society.

Hage writes: "I, and many people like me, am sick of 'worried' white Australians — white Australians who think they have a monopoly over 'worrying' about the shape and the future of Australia."

Sakr says: "[This anthology] is us taking up that space and being like, we have our own ideas about what this country will be.

"I think that's partly why we're drawn to it [speculative fiction] — at least we have a measure of control [in this writing] that we don't have in life."


Law sees a similar value to the anthology.

"It flips the narrative for the first time," she says.

"It enables us to tell our stories from our perspectives, and for us to really shine a light on things that are uncomfortable, or things that we've historically swept under the carpet."

After Australia is out now through Affirm Press.

 Links
at No comments: