In the recent times, the world has experienced notable increase in the exhaustion of natural ecosystems and habitats. The depletion of the natural environments has contributed to the reduction of species’ population putting them at risk of extinction. Polluted and overexploited ecosystems and habitat leave species exposed and without the necessary basic requirements for survival causing them to die. Carbon emissions are significant causes of deterioration of ecosystems (Legier). The effects of rising unchecked carbon emissions will greatly contribute to the risk of plant species’ extinction by the end of the century.
The world is made up of over 1.8 million plant species, and statistics show that at least one species in a million disappears annually. The rate of extinction is over a thousand times higher than the speed of natural destruction which means that at least 200 species become extinct in a year. Major factors considered to accelerate the increased rates of extinction include climate changes, the release of methane gas to the sea floor and human activities. Key to the rapid dying rate of plant species is human activities that result in habitat destruction, pollution, overexploitation, and invasive species. Human activities originate from the increasing human populations that require more resources for survival. The human species requires homes and resources to survive and end up destroying natural habitats to build houses or pollute the environment through industrial emissions to make a living (Legier, n.d). The increasing population of humans put the human species at the top of the list of invasive species and increased human destructive activities such as pollution and overexploitation. Humans have been seen to exploit forests for timber and to clear land for settlements and water sources to generate energy as well as using water bodies as dumping sites for industrial wastes. Therefore, the extinction drivers are increasing in rate and execution.
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The increasing rate of the extinction drivers suggests an increased rate of extinction yearly. As the extinction drivers increase, so the speed of extinction goes up. Biologists approximate that 20% of the world species will become extinct by 2030 and 50% by 2050 and the primary drivers of the rate are human activities of habitat destruction, invasiveness, and pollution (Legier, n.d). Carbon emissions primarily characterize environmental pollution and overexploitation by human activities. Carbon emissions, directly and indirectly, destroy ecosystems and natural habitats. Carbon emission into the world atmosphere increases global warming to an average of about 4.5 degrees Celsius. An average 4.5 temperature in any region will result in over 50% wipeout of most species in the area.
Additionally, a 4.5 average temperature is only possible with minimal human effort to prevent carbon emissions. This implies that unchecked carbon emissions will lead to higher average temperatures causing higher extinction rates. Carbon emissions also affect rainfall levels and frequency. With increased carbon emissions rainfall is becoming more unpredictable due to the higher temperatures and general climate change. Decreased rainfall levels result in less water and more contaminated water sources which downgrade the quality of life. Without rainfall, natural species lack food and marine life lack habitat promoting extinction (Fabiano, 2018). Therefore, unchecked carbon emissions result in extreme pollution on the ecosystems which fasten the extinction rate.
In conclusion, the suggestion that increased carbon emission will see most of the world's species become extinct by the end of the century is justifiable by the statistics on the effects of carbon emissions on the atmosphere. The world is only becoming more industrialized increasing the levels of carbon emissions into the atmosphere annually. Without the placement and implementation of carbon emissions control mechanisms, global temperature will rise at an increasing rate, and the climate will change to unsustainable and unpredictable patterns. Consequently, the quality of species will deteriorate and more species will be completely wiped out annually increasing extinction rates and ultimately wiping out over half of worlds species in due time.
References
Legier, John. T. (n.d). Chapter 8: Ecosystem and habitat. In Sustainability: Principles and practice . Unidentified publisher.
Fagiano, J. (2018). Unchecked carbon emissions could jeopardize plants, animals in the world's most vital habitats. Accuweather. Retrieved on 2 October 2018 from https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/unchecked-carbon-emissions-could-jeopardize-plants-animals-in-worlds-most-vital-habitats/70004596
