by TonyPrep » Sat 09 Feb 2008, 03:54:30
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JohnDenver', 'T')hanks Alcy, but I think you've got the wrong poster for the current mass extinction event. Gorillas aren't extinct. The accurate poster showing the species going extinct looks like this (cue tragic violin music)
I see that you have no worries about
any species that became extinct in recent times or that are endangered, even though you don't know how the extinction of those species may affect our existence or quality of life. However, that is no excuse for ridiculing those who are worried.
According to the
IUCN Red List (PDF) at least 10% of vertebrates, at least 3% of plants, at least 1% of mushrooms, lichens and brown algae, and at least 0.18% of invertebrates are endangered (percentages are based on total known species; percentages of examined species are much, much higher).
I certainly wouldn't call for preferential treatment of non-human species but it seems our behaviour in removing or polluting habitats is severely stressing the biosphere that we, ourselves, inhabit. I think we should stop doing that as the precautionary principle would dictate. I don't think it is a matter for off-hand remarks that assume total knowledge about the interactions of various species and the environment that sustains us.