The 6th Great Extinction - Anthropocene

Human activity is killing nature at an unprecedented rate. We are now experiencing the consequences in the form of a possible sixth mass extinction.

A mass extinction is a period of geological time in which a high percentage of biodiversity, or distinct species — bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates — dies out.  The earth has experienced five previous mass extinction events, the last occurring 65.5 million years ago. Experts now believe we’re in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.

Unlike previous extinction events caused by natural phenomena, the sixth mass extinction is driven by human activity, mainly the unsustainable use of land, water and energy, and climate change. Currently, 40% of all land has been converted for food production. Agriculture is also responsible for 90% of global deforestation and accounts for 70% of the planet’s freshwater use, devastating the species that inhabit those places by significantly altering their habitats. Where and how food is produced is one of the biggest human-caused threats to species extinction and our ecosystems. 

The intertwined relationships among the food system, climate change, and biodiversity loss place immense pressure on our planet. Unsustainable food production and consumption contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions causing atmospheric and sea temperature rise. The climate crisis is causing severe droughts as well as more frequent and intense storms. The challenges associated with food production that stress species, while creating conditions that make their habitats inhospitable, are mounting, making it more difficult to maintain crops and produce sufficient food. 

The earth has suffered five previous mass extinction events:

• The Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction occurred 443 million years ago and wiped out approximately 85% of all species. 
• The Devonian mass extinction event took place 374 million years ago and killed about three-quarters of the world's species.
• The Permian-Triassic mass extinction happened 250 million years ago and was the largest and most devastating event of the five. It eradicated more than 95% of all species, including most of the vertebrates which had begun to evolve.
• The Triassic mass extinction event 200 million years ago eliminated about 80% of Earth's species, including many types of dinosaurs.
• The Cretaceous mass extinction event occurred 66 million years ago, killing 78% of all species, including the remaining non-avian dinosaurs. 

Although they do not know for certain, scientists speculate that previous mass extinctions were caused by intense geological activity, huge volcanic eruptions, asteroids hitting the earth, and extreme temperature changes. 

Natural extinction occurs over hundreds and thousands of years which allows nature to slowly replace what has been lost. So climate change is nothing new. 

But humans have sped up this process. Ancient, or paleoclimate, evidence reveals that current warming is occurring roughly 10 times faster than the average rate of warming after an ice age. Carbon dioxide from human activities is increasing about 250 times faster than it did from natural sources after the last Ice Age. Never before has a single species been responsible for such destruction on Earth. Some scientists believe we are definitely going through a sixth mass extinction. 

Buckle your seat belts, we're in for a bumpy ride.

Climate chaos

Climate Chaos 

by Daria Blackwell

Each day I search for evidence
That life's going to be okay. 
Instead I find new evidence
of global order in decay.

The oceans of the earth are boiling
The air though cleaner 
Is letting through more light
to exacerbate the warming. 

With every passing moment
the feeling of doom gets stronger
the hopelessness of it all
blocks any chance of revival. 

And the sun sends out a flare
Like a distress signal to the universe
Which lands on earth as aurora
The most exquisite of light's expressions.

And yet when the opportunity came
After telling everyone to look up
I looked to the metaverse instead
And missed the spectacle so many witnessed. 

Others missed it too
They start support groups 
For those who cannot live
with themselves over it. 

We can't stop the fight.
We can't get it right.
We can't resist our ways.
We can't amend our days. 

13-05-24

Oral surgery

 

I had a scare several weeks ago when I developed an infection in one of my front teeth that resulted in a tooth becoming loose. My dentists were on holiday and I couldn't get in to see them for more than a week. I treated myself with Glyoxide, then got a course of antibiotics from my dentist. But I was worried about the tooth and was referred to my periodontist. 

My brilliant periodontist in Galway diagnosed that an ongoing infection in one of my lower front teeth had eroded my bone. But, he concluded that we could likely save the tooth. So I agreed to oral surgery and as I stood there, a cancellation came in for a week later. He advised me to take the appointment if I wanted the best chance of saving the tooth. So I did, despite Alex and I being due to speak at a roundtable at Ballymaloe House this weekend. 

The appointment was for 9 am in Galway on Friday the 17th of May. Making it to Galway in rush hour traffic would have been a nightmare and we didn't need the extra stress. So I booked us into the Victoria Hotel which is convenient to the dental office and the town centre.

I booked us into a new restaurant Éan recommended by the Michelin Guide. It was very unusual and spectacularly delicious. Perfectly balanced unique pairings of flavours as we've never experienced before. We started with almonds (to die for) and Grenacha wine. Next Alex had Dexter tartare and I had scallop in an oriental soup base with egg yolk. To top it off, we had the venison. Fabulous. 

Breakfast at the Victoria was OK. A short walk and I was in the operating theatre. I counted 11 injections of lidocaine. We started with a deep cleaning of a deep pocket in one of my molars and a cleaning of the staining caused by the Corsodyl I was told to use by my dentist. Then he moved on to the surgery when I was fully numb. Incisions were made around the affected tooth. Lots of hoking followed along the inside of the tooth, then solutions sprayed, the tooth secured with adhesive to the adjacent tooth, treatment with ultraviolet light, and more. Last, he inserted a gel matrix that encourages regrowth of bone by my body. Finally, more than an hour later, I counted three sutures in the back and five in the front. They are dissolving sutures which should be absorbed in a few days. 

I can't bite anything with the front of my teeth for about 5 days. Soft foods only for 4-5 days. Antibiotics for 5 days, and pain meds stronger than ibuprofen for a few days. 

He said we'd done everything humanly possible to save the tooth. It was up to God's divine intervention to determine what was next. I hope my connection with God is favourable for my prayers to be heard. 

I see him again on the 7th June. We'll see what God has in store for me. 

Storm Isha

 

Storm Isha takes its toll

 by Daria Blackwell

Violent is the wind today.

White seahorses on the ocean

and galloping down the Bay.

Today I fear the warriors

Coursing on the Irish waters,

Collecting tolls from its shores

Tearing down the olden trees.

And homes that were left to fend

On their own. 

24/01/2024

Living through 2023

NYC during Canada's forest fires

It's hard to know if this was the best year of the coming decade, but if it was, beware. What did it do for us? High anxiety. Climate anxiety or eco-anxiety is a new human condition, and it's real and pervasive. 

Weather weirdness and climate breakdown. Drought, fires, and floods. So sad for the forests of Canada and the beautiful historic Lahaina. Records broken for air and sea temperature anomalies, ice formation, and more. Floods after drought. Extreme weather causing massive devastation, crop failures, mass migration, and starvation. Food and water insecurity. The extinction rebellion. COP28 in the UAE led by an oil CEO Sultan. 

Wars on many fronts: Ukraine-Russia, Israel-Palestine, Sudan, Ethiopia, Maghreb. 

The Barbenheimer phenomenon. What was that?  A bit of escapism in a tug-of-war with weapons of mass destruction. 

Trump and Guiliani would be jokes if they weren't so dangerous. This signals the downfall of democracy in America. Stress on so many fronts. The states warring with each other. The US passing a point of no return. 

Humanity at war with the earth, and with each other. 

Were there any high points? Of course. We rekindled relationships post-Covid, including with our cousins in Florida. But there are a few positives to which we can point for hope. 

• Renewables have been picking up steam
• Phasing out of fossil fuels made it into the COP28 agreements
• Reduction in the rate of release of methane
• Surge in sales of EVs
• Reduction in deforestation of Brazil
• The ozone layer is healing well

But on that last point, a study has been published that indicates that global warming is accelerating due to one simple fact: we have been cleaning up particulate matter from the air which unbeknownst to us had a cooling effect on the earth. Now that the air is cleaner, more sunlight is getting through to warm the earth even faster. 

So we are f*^%ed ... we can die either from pollution-related respiratory disease or from melanoma or heat stroke. Charming thoughts. 

While there's much to be worried about the climate and nature crises, we must not lose hope, because hopelessness breeds apathy. Hope alone won't change anything but actions do. We built a big shed. We've contracted to install solar panels, batteries, and an eV charging point early in the new year. An eV will follow shortly thereafter. Hey, it's a start. We've planted hundreds of trees, and we don't use chemicals on the land. We encourage biodiversity and provide wildlife with habitat. Perhaps we can encourage others to do the same. 

Caroling at the Dali Museum, Tampa FL

 

Христос рождается!

The world’s gone mad

The world’s gone mad

by Daria Blackwell

We fight a daily battle against prejudice

With wars on many fronts taking lives

That might have been the ones to solve

The other problems we are facing.

Like climate weirdness, fire and flood,

And food insecurity for all those masses. 

Humanity has reached its life expectancy

And we will soon outlive our resources.

I wonder if God foresaw this issue.

I wonder if it matters that the world’s gone mad?