How do Humans Cause Extinction?
The primary human causes of declines in plants and animals are habitat loss and hunting. People are clearing more land, eating more food, and producing more waste than ever before in history. Other significant causes are the introduction of non-native species and diseases, pollution, and climate change. My own research on sea turtles examines how stronger and longer-lasting hurricanes (from warmer oceans) affect sea turtle reproduction. Sea turtles nest on beaches, and their nests are flooded and washed away by heavy rains and storm surges from hurricanes. One might think, “Hurricanes have been around as long as sea turtles, surely the turtles can handle it!” This logic ignores that sea turtle populations have already declined 90% or more in the past centuries, and that the beaches where they nest are fewer and farther between. Active hunting, coastal beach development, and incidental captures in commercial fishing nets brought us to where we are now. Sea turtles are already threatened
