Lillian McDowell McDowell 1

Professor Leonard

English Composition II

24 October 2021

Literature Review

Why are we experiencing mass extinctions? There are two different ways a mass

extinction could happen. One is caused by nature and the other is caused by life. Right now

many species are experiencing extinction due to people. There are habitat invasions and global

warming that have caused animals to become endangered and eventually extinct.

Writer Tammana Begum says that there have been five mass extinctions that have

happened on earth. This means that in the past billions of years there has been a time when 75%

of Earth’s life has disappeared. The organisms lost are irreplaceable and the only way of

studying them is through fossils. The largest mass extinction in Earth’s history has been the

Permian. Currently, researchers have been looking into the sixth mass extinction, which would

be humans and other organisms (“What is mass extinction and are we facing the sixth one”).

Humans are polluting the earth with trash and there are not enough landfills to hold the

capacity of the trash so it is being shoved into the ocean. The ocean is now being overflowed and

causing many states on the coast to have their cities be in danger of erosion. There are also

species being invaded because of people displacing animals. This can throw off ecosystems and

cause other species to suffer from a lack of food, water, and habitat.

Global warming is another factor in species extinction. MacMillan and Turrentine explain

that due to the air pollution of Carbon dioxide, the Ozone has weakened and created the earth

with a much warmer climate. Not only is the world getting warmer, but natural disasters such as

hurricanes and droughts. All of this extreme weather affects animals and humans. The most
known problem is the polar ice caps melting (“Global Warming 101”). This also contributes to

the high sea levels and kills the arctic animals that can not live in warmer climates.

The article “51 Small Things to Help the Environment” explains that there are many

ways to protect endangered species from becoming extinct. Right now humans are the cause but

they can also be the solution. Simple things like recycling or finding reusable resources such as

shopping bags and lunch containers. Trees and gardens are also a great way to provide the earth

with more clean oxygen and do not require as much waste.

In the past, mass extinctions have been caused by natural occurrences. For example the

Permian and the Cretaceous Era. Both were caused by an asteroid hitting earth or possibly a

volcanic eruption. There are also issues with genetic diversity and disease mutations that can

occur within different species of animals. This may not cause a mass extinction, but it can cause

the extinction of animals or plants.

The biggest misconception of mass extinction is that it can occur within a day or one

moment causes the whole world to just disappear. That is actually incorrect. Many mass

extinctions had an event occur and then the earth suffered the consequences through changes in

the climate. Volcanic eruptions, climate change, and the acidification of the oceans are all

examples of how mass extinction did not just happen in an instant. That is what is happening

right now. We are experiencing climate change, global warming, and loss of biodiversity being

caused by people.
 Works Cited

“Endangered and Threatened Species.”Library of Congress, Research Guides,

guides.loc.gov/endangered-species. Accessed 18 Oct. 2021.

“Learn more about Threatened and Endangered Species” the United States

Environmental Protection Agency, Endangered Species, www.epa.gov/endangered-species.

Accessed 18 Oct. 2021.

"Endangered Species." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale

In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org. Accessed 18 Oct. 2021.

“Endangered Species." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale

In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ Accessed 118 Oct. 2021.

“Endangered Species Facts and Information.” National Geographic, 25 Jan. 2019.

www.nationalgeographic.com. Accessed 18 Oct. 2021.

Humphrey, S.R., & Bain, J.R. Endangered Animals of Thailand 1st ed. CRC Press. 1990

Eihern, Catherine. “The Global Extinction Crisis.” New York Times. 29 Sept. 2019.

Francoeur, Robert T. “Tommorows Fossils.” Sinclair Library Collections. Accessed 18 Oct.

2021

Endanger Animals-Wildlife Documentary. BBC Documentary. 2012