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''The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History'' is a 2014 nonfiction book written by Elizabeth Kolbert and published by Henry Holt & Company. The book demonstrates that the Earth is in the midst of a modern, man-made, sixth mass extinction. In the book, Kolbert chronicles previous mass extinction events, and compares them to the accelerated, widespread extinctions during our present time. She also describes specific species extinguished by humans, as well as the ecologies surrounding prehistoric and near-present extinction events. The author received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for the book in 2015.〔http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2015-General-Nonfiction Pulitzer citation〕 The target audience is the general reader, and scientific descriptions are rendered in understandable prose. The clear writing blends explanations of her treks to remote areas with interviews of scientists, researchers, and guides, without advocating a position, and maintaining objectivity. Hence, the sixth mass extinction theme is applied to flora and fauna existing in diverse habitats, such as the Panamanian rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, the Andes, Bikini Atoll, city zoos, and the author's own backyard. The book also applies this theme to a number of other habitats and organisms throughout the world. After researching the current mainstream view of the relevant peer reviewed science, Kolbert estimates flora and fauna loss by the end of the 21st century to be between 20% to 50% "of all living species on earth".〔〔 〕〔〔 〕〔〔 〕 ==Anthropocene== Kolbert equates current, general unawareness of this issue to previous widespread disbelief of it during the centuries preceding the late 1700s; at that time, it was believed that prehistoric mass extinctions had never occurred. It was also believed there were no natural forces powerful enough to extinguish species en masse. Likewise, in our own time, the possible finality presented by this issue results in denialism. But scientific studies have shown that human behavior disrupts Earth's balanced and interconnected systems, "putting our own survival in danger." Consequently, the Earth systems currently affected are: the global atmosphere, the water cycle, the ocean's heat absorption, ocean acidity (and its effect on coral reefs), soil moisture and drought conditions, plant destruction by pests/non-indigenous fauna or heat stress, heat regulation by the Earth's ice, and so on. The human species contributes to this disruption - even without intending to - because of our innate capabilities to alter the planet at this stage of our cultural evolution; for instance, we now have the ability to harness energy from beneath the Earth's surface. ''Homo sapiens'' also has the ability to adapt relatively quickly to almost any environment on this planet's surface. Other species, however, have a hard time relocating to new, suitable habitats. They are unable to migrate ahead of current rapid ecological changes, or are hampered by artificial barriers such as roadways, cityscapes, and suburban sprawl, which cause increased discontinuity between viable habitats throughout the world.〔〔〔〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Sixth Extinction (book)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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