This is one of the shorter articles I have written each week at CFACT. The reason is that the fraudulent distortion of species extinction has so little data behind it for me to dissect, actually none. So there is little to write about. Patrick Moore did write about it in his new book Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom. He has been personally involved in the blatant lies made from the imagination of the perpetrators I am about to describe.
On May 22, 2019 Patrick Moore and Climate Depot’s Marc Marano appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife. They were invited by the minority Republican members of the committee. A committee whose primary purpose was to hear three so called UN scientists from the awkwardly named Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. They were there to tell the committee that they expected one million species to go extinct as a result of climate change.
Patrick and Marc had the real data on species which now record that a total of just 1.74 million species have been identified, named and characterized. Insects take up about half of the list followed by beetles, spiders and other invertebrates. Next in numbers are plants, lichens and mushrooms, then vertebrates such as fish and amphibians, then reptiles and birds. Finally, barely over 5000 mammals like us exist.
In contrast the UN scientists suggested that 8.7 million species existed based on a single paper written by one of their committee members, Dr. Andy Purvis. That is over 7 million species with no physical record whatever. Purvis is a Professor at the Imperial College of London. The number was generated by a mathematical model that contained no physical data. He stated that this “estimate is described by scientists as the most accurate ever”. Dr. Purvis further claimed that 10,000 new species are discovered every year. This is preposterous in light of the fact that in 2018 only 226 new species were documented.
Virtually the entire testimony of the UN Representatives was made up to convince more House Representatives that the burning of fossil fuels must be stopped to save the lives of millions of critters. Patrick Moore correctly says “if one or two million species were to go extinct tonight, we would never know it happened because we didn’t even know they existed in the first place”.
The Democrats on the House committee, being entertained by the UN folks, were enthralled with their presentation, seeming excited about the extinction of a million species. After all it was helping the goal of all Democrats to eliminate fossil fuels. They were not expecting the testimony that followed from Patrick and Marc which countered the claims of the UN group. As a result of their contrary testimony they formed a new committee to hear only comments from the left side and did not allow Patrick and Marc back.
There have been five major species extinctions in geological history, all caused by huge planetary phenomenon such as asteroid strikes and massive volcanic activity from the earth’s core. The most recent of the mass extinctions occurred 66 million years ago as a result of an asteroid striking Northern Yucatán. It eliminated 75% of all species including dinosaurs. This claim of a sixth mass extinction by pseudo scientist alarmists is laid at the feat of human activities which must be considered the greatest arrogance ever of the leftists.
The once responsible National Geographic Magazine warned of a sixth great extinction already underway yet no taxonomic family of animals has yet to be eliminated.
While it is a fact that humans have caused species extinction over millennia, there is no record of any entire family of species going extinct because of humans. Patrick Moore challenged the National Geographic to support their claim of an ongoing sixth extinction. They did respond saying that “the concept of a sixth distinction is strongly supported by their consultants”. Are you laughing yet?
During the past century the number of species extinctions has declined by 80% as a result of the efforts of naturalists, real environmentalists and even hunters.
This species extinction scare story is just as preposterous as the ongoing climate catastrophe story. Both are based on unobservable factors that can not be independently verified by sensible people. Both are supported by vested interests whose very purpose is to scare the public. Forewarned is forearmed. Be assured there is not a major extinction going on and furthermore fossil fuels have not impacted any species. The same can not be said for major solar and wind installations which are wreaking havoc on local bird populations.
Next time a friend or associate mentions species extinction as a reason they support the elimination of fossil fuels, you should have no trouble setting them straight.
NOTE: Portions of the this article have been excerpted from the 2021 book FAKE INVISIBLE CATASTROPHES AND THREATS OF DOOM with permission of the author Patrick Moore. The book is highly recommended for up to date analysis of the most fraudulent environmental claims of our day.