description The Sixth Extinction Overview
The Sixth Extinction examines Earth’s history of mass extinctions and argues that we are currently driving a sixth, largely due to human impacts on the environment. Elizabeth Kolbert investigates the scientific evidence demonstrating biodiversity loss linked to climate change and habitat destruction. This book is for readers interested in contemporary issues surrounding conservation, ecology, and the future of our planet's ecosystems.
insights Ranking position
The Sixth Extinction ranks #40 of 107 in the Book ranking, behind The Blade Itself, ahead of Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
help The Sixth Extinction FAQ
Which extinction event does Elizabeth Kolbert call the sixth extinction?
Kolbert argues that human activity is driving a new mass extinction through habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, and other pressures. The title places this crisis after the five major mass extinctions recognized in Earth's geological record.
What animals does The Sixth Extinction use to explain biodiversity loss?
The book follows cases including Panamanian golden frogs affected by chytrid fungus and great auks hunted to extinction. Kolbert also visits researchers studying corals, bats, rhinos, and other organisms.
Is The Sixth Extinction a textbook or a narrative science book?
It is narrative nonfiction that combines field reporting, scientific history, and interviews rather than presenting a conventional textbook. Henry Holt published the book in 2014, and it won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
How does The Sixth Extinction connect ocean acidification to extinction?
Kolbert explains that oceans absorb carbon dioxide, changing seawater chemistry and making calcification harder for corals and other organisms. She examines this process through field research, including work around natural carbon-dioxide vents.
explore Explore More
Similar to The Sixth Extinction
See all arrow_forward
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
