An MIT professor has predicted that the Earth could start to undergo a sixth mass extinction by the year 2100.
A geophysics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has predicted that the Earth could start to undergo a sixth mass extinction by the year 2100.
According to a press release issued by the school, Daniel Rothman came to this determination after he “identified ‘thresholds of catastrophe’ in the carbon cycle that, if exceeded, would lead to an unstable environment, and ultimately, mass extinction.”
Based on current conditions, he found that the next trigger could occur when about 310 gigatons of carbon is added to the planet’s oceans--a level that could be reached by 2100.
“This is not saying that disaster occurs the next day. It’s saying that, if left unchecked, the carbon cycle would move into a realm which would be no longer stable, and would behave in a way that would be difficult to predict," Rothman said. "In the geologic past, this type of behavior is associated with mass extinction.”
And while Rothman acknowledges that a link between carbon cycle disruptions and a significant wipeout of species is still unknown, he found that the dynamic nonetheless applied to the five past extinction events from the previous 450 million years--including the one believed to have killed the dinosaurs.
Meanwhile, another study released in July suggested, "there's growing evidence that a sixth mass extinction is unfolding," according to CBS News.
The team from Stanford University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico cited the shrinking populations of numerous animals around the world as proof; in fact, they went so far as to call it “biological annihilation.”
“All signs point to ever more powerful assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades, painting a dismal picture of the future of life, including human life,” the researchers added.
Rothman has suggested that reducing carbon emissions and studying past cycles could be helpful.
