Chapter 13: The Thing With Feathers

July 14, 2019

          In the final chapter, Chapter 13, Kolbert evaluates on the idea that no matter what decision humans continue to make, it's already clear that "the sixth extinction will continue to determine the course of life". Kolbert goes to the Institute for Conservation Research, ICR, in San Diego to study the future; she observes vials containing genetic material of different species such as the Black-Faced Honey Creeper, which is why the place is called the "Frozen Zoo". With Congress passing the Endangered Species Act in 1974, allowed many scientists and conservationists to further preserve at risk of dying species. A reproductive physiologist, Barbara Durrant, putting hours of effort pushing species to reproduce, sort of, stood out to Kolbert that people such as Durrant are willing to devote their lives to conserving the endangered species. However, Kolbert goes to talk about the Anthropocene era/ sixth extinction: the mass-extinction of the worlds life forms, caused by human behaviors. According to page 267, "having freed ourselves from the constraints of evolution, humans nevertheless remain dependent on the Earth's biological and geochemical systems. By disrupting these systems--cutting down tropical rainforests, altering the composition of the atmosphere, acidifying the oceans--we're putting our own survival in danger". This connects to the APES Theme: Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems; a sustainable combination of conservation and development is required. A quote from Stanford ecologist, Paul Ehrlich, on page 168: "In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it perches"; [R] this sort of explains that the human species, Homo Sapiens, like all other species, depend on other species. Thus, by eliminating these animals and plants, we are inevitably reducing our chances of survival, so in the present time, we decide to save these animals and plants for the better of everything...Savvy?