Bryan Gu — May 12, 2026

Currently, scientists note that the world is experiencing the sixth mass extinction event. A mass extinction event is when a large percentage of biodiversity and species die out. However, this specific sixth mass extinction is caused by anthropogenic sources instead of natural cycles or events. The Earth has risen 1.7° Fahrenheit since 1880, and it’s projected to increase to up to 7.2° Fahrenheit by 2050. With increased warming, habitats experience fragmentation and specialist species that live in specific environments face great risks of extinction. For most species, the most common cause of extinction is the loss of habitat. Positive feedback loops, like the rising of temperatures and the consequential melting of permafrost that releases methane into the air, create a cycle of global heating that worsens with time.

With the warming of the Earth, scientists estimate that the world is currently experiencing approximately 50,000 species extinctions annually. Naturally, the extinction of more species leads to the collapse of entire food chains, consequently threatening the populations of even more species. Mycorrhizal Fungi, having a symbiotic relationship with the development of trees, are facing massive biodiversity decreases in recent years from the loss of habitats, climate change and pollution. The remaining 51 Rice Whales in the world face the threat of extinction following the removal of protection of the drilling in March of this year. Additionally, the verdict of the “God Squad” for the permission of gas and oil drilling followed a legal loophole that allows drilling in the Gulf to protect national security, further augmenting the threat of extinction. Oil spills, a common side effect of drilling, have killed an estimated of 22% of the Rice Whale’s population. The loss of biodiversity even has economic side effects. A 2026 article released by UNESCO notes that biodiversity affects all sections of live including economic aspects, threatening critical supply chains for resources, negative externalities that are not accounted for in prices, and uses of government budget on flood and protections.

Though there are individual actions like eating a more environmentally friendly meal or reducing the use of fossil fuels throughout your day, change needs to be made structurally and politically by leaders. Voting for politicians who focus on climate action or even participating in grassroots movements can make a significant change. In 2017, Trump exited from the Paris agreement, in favor of protecting the coal industry, a contract Obama passed in his term in office. The Paris Agreement has the goal of reducing global warming to within 2 degrees of pre-industrial levels. It should be noted that Trump’s exit from the Paris Agreement not only removed the country with the second largest emission per capita from a climate treaty, but also exited the agreement to protect the fossil fuel that emits the most greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Additionally, the United States remains the only developed country that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement that sets plans for global emissions of greenhouse gases from all industrialized countries to be reduced. Voting for more climate-friendly politicians has the potential to mitigate global warming and habitat fragmentation the most. Moreover, grassroots movements and collective movements demanding accountability have the potential to change corporate and government actions. Even if the investment for R&D of emerging carbon sequestration technology in 2026 has the potential to mitigate global warming and slow the sixth great extinction, the mitigation of emissions remains the most effective way to slow warming.