Washington Post (June 28)
“Like one of the endangered species whose impending extinction it has chronicled, National Geographic magazine has been on a relentlessly downward path, struggling for vibrancy in an increasingly unforgiving ecosystem. On Wednesday, the Washington-based magazine that has surveyed science and the natural world for 135 years reached another difficult passage when it laid off all of its last remaining staff writers.”
Tags: 135 years, Endangered species, Extinction, Impending, National Geographic, Natural world, Relentlessly, Science, Staff writers, Struggling
New York Times (October 1)
“As species disappear and the complex relationships between living things and systems become frayed and broken, the growing damage to the world’s biodiversity presents dire risks to human societies.” We are living through “one of the most explosive extinction episodes in history” with plant and animal extinction occurring “an estimated 1,000 times faster than natural rates.” Our course is unsustainable. “It is much less costly to protect and conserve nature than it is to restore it or suffer the consequences of its destruction.”
Tags: Animal, Biodiversity, Complex, Consequences, Conserve, Damage, Destruction, Disappear, Extinction, Plant, Protect, Relationships, Restore, Risks, Species
CBS News (October 27)
In Japan almost 1,000 “towns and villages face extinction because the country is simply running out of people. Japan’s population peaked several years ago, at 128 million in 2011. And if the dire forecasts come true, Japan will have as few as 59 million people by 2100.” This is not some distant phenomenon. “What’s happening in Japan is a preview of what many Western countries, including the United States, will soon face.”
Tags: Dire, Extinction, Forecasts, Japan, Population, Preview, Towns, Villages
LA Times (October 16)
“Scientists believe that Earth is in the throes of a sixth great extinction. Humans are causing it. Ultimately, we could become the victim of our own excesses.”
Tags: Earth, Excesses, Extinction, Humans, Scientists, Throes, Victim
The Economist (January 27)
“Not so long ago, GM and its peers seemed to be on a path to extinction. Technology firms such as Alphabet, Uber and other pushy newcomers had started a race to develop software that would control driverless cars and to offer ride-hailing and ride-sharing services that are expected to thrive at the expense of car ownership.” However, there’s been a sharp reversal in market sentiment and GM has taken pole position. “A scorecard issued annually by Navigant, a consultancy, puts GM ahead of the AV pack of carmakers and tech firms, with Alphabet’s Waymo in second place.”
Tags: Alphabet, Car, Driverless cars, Extinction, GM, Market sentiment, Navigant, Ownership, Ride-sharing, Technology, Uber, Waymo
Institutional Investor (February 18)
“Are currency traders destined for extinction? Their ranks are thinning quickly, as computers take over their tasks and banks pull back from activity in financial markets. The trend is likely to continue and market volatility is likely to increase as a result, analysts say.”
The Economist (September 14)
“More growth, not less, is the best hope for averting a sixth great extinction.” As individuals reach the middle class they start to think more seriously about protecting the environment. In rich countries, conditions “are, by and large, improving, and endangered creatures are moving away from the edge of the cliff.”
Tags: Conditions, Endangered creatures, Environment, Extinction, Growth, Hope, Middle class, Rich countries
