We are currently amid a mass extinction.
We are living through the Holocene extinction…the sixth mass extinction event that we know of
over the 4.5 billion year history of our earth.
Right now we are losing 0.1 percent of all species each year – with the UN suggesting
we’re losing 150 species a DAY.
SO….
What happens when they’re all gone?
Will we be the last ones standing?
Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions – a channel that loves all manor
of queries from fiction to non - fiction, science, politics, history, you name it.
Today we are taking a deep dive into the Ecosystem as was ask What if All The Animals Went Extinct.
Before we get into this video – why don’t you let me know what animals is your favourite?
I have a few…
Elephants, Owls and DOGS….obviously!
I also love a good seal…they’re basically sea dogs!
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What if all the animals went extinct… well it’s going that way.
At a low estimate the earth has two million species and at a high estimate, 100 million.
We have identified 1.8 million species but we know there are more out there, but for
how long.
If 0.1 percent of all species are dying each year, that is at the very least 1,800 extinctions
a year, but the number could be as high as 100,000.
It is thought that right now extinction is happening between 1 thousand to 10 thousand
times faster than it should be.
The reason for the mass extinction is literally humans.
Human emergence, human over hunting.
We are killing animals and we are moving into their spaces, we are chopping down rain forests
and polluting the oceans.
Animals are dying and evolution cannot catch up.
Evolution is the planet's defense against the loss of biodiversity.
The process of evolution is far slower than the rate at which humans are causing mammals
to go extinct – in fact, it is said that even if humans disappeared now, it could take
between three to five million years for evolution to recover.
While this is alarming to the vast majority of us who understand we share a planet, not
own it, there will be some people who think… like…so what….
If we evolved to be sapient and are therefore better than the other animals, who cares if
the die out.
That actually hurts my heart to even say those words out loud, but that is how some people
think, and who can blame them because that’s is the nature of humans, right?
Well even if we had a bigger right to be here and we claimed the entirety of the earth,
letting all the other animals die off at our whim, it would still take some time for them
all to drop dead…however, as they did….and eventually when there are no other animals
but us, we will be utterly screwed.
Let’s start with insects, my least favourite animals.
It is true that insects make humans sick.
Around half a million people die from malaria each year which is a disease spread by insects
– namely mosquitos….
I have a word for mosquitos but because this is a family friendly channel and because we
rely on youtube monetization to run this biz, I cant say that word… but I’ll give you
some time to imagine what that word might be now.
Yep… you guessed right….
That’s what mosquitos are… but they are necessary….. they are important to aquatic
ecology – other animals eat them to survive – although if they are all going to die
anyway…
I really wouldn’t shed any tears over those little…..
Worms on the other hand….humans would first hand be effected if insects like worms or
ants died.
Worms are natures ploughs, they help nourish soil and without them crops would fail.
Similar ants aerate soil and are most useful when it comes to the production of wheat,
coffee and chocolate.
You may have heard the rumour that if bees died then all humans would have just 4 years
left…
I don’t know about that but I do know that Bee’s directly pollinate 30% of the worlds
crops.
Bee’s aren’t the only pollinators, sure, other insects and birds help pollinate the
80% of world wide plant life that are classified as Angiosperms – these plants are responsible
for beans, potatoes, again wheat, nuts….
If we didn’t have animals to pollinate plants we would have to rely solely on winds….or
generate wind or little pollination drones to do the job for us… but that sounds like
a lot of ag so we may as well just …you know…keep the bees.
What about wax?
No more bougie candles for sale in Anthropologie or Jo Malone.
Boohoo.
But then there would be no wool to keep us warm in the winter, or fur…not that I am
pro fur.
Silk is spun from silk worms… sure we can get cotton from plants but the crops would
be ailing and failing through lack of animal support.
It already sounds like we’re cold and hungry and like not to state the obvious but we wouldn’t
have meat to eat….
Or any honey, or milk, eggs, cheese, butter.
We would all be forced to be vegan, but without the crop supply to feed a planet!
I was going to mention that a lot of countries still use animals in agriculture too.. but
….. I mean it hardly seems worth it.
Like the whole we would literally starve thing kind of seems like the main issue and that
is going to be very stressful… but it will be way more stressful without animal pets
to help get us through the dark times!
When I am down, animals make me happy!
Dogs!
Please!
I don’t want to live in a world without dogs.
It is a proven fact that the vast majority of humans are calmed by certain animals like
dogs, cats and bunnies.
Also….
People with disabilities who need the help of a service animal would be in a bad way….
Not that we wouldn’t all be in the same bad way boat.
Speaking of boats, this brings me to water.
Yes yes, I know there aren’t any fish for us to eat… but there also wouldn’t be
any plankton which is technically an animal.
Plankton are said to be responsible for half of the world’s oxygen… so even breathing
without animals would be an issue.
So….
To summize, without animals, crops would fail so we wouldn’t be able to harvest as much
plant based nutrition as we would need to feed the world in the absence of animal products,
we also would struggle to generate new clothing, and ...yeah…breath… and again… no dogs.
What is even the point.
Also… we will never know what animals may have evolved next…I wonder if any of the
creatures we have on earth could have eventually reached a point of sapience?!
But okay…last thing I promise …. This is all ignoring the fact that humans are animals
too.
So…you know… without ALL animals… well… the worth would kind of keep doing its thing….
It would be very quiet….
I wonder what would come from the bacteria?!
Okay, done now… the world would suck, we would starve… there would be no puppies.
Would you want to live in this world?
Let me know what animal is your favourite…
Comments from What if the internet was shut off for a year?
Random Nerd of Doom said: If I had no internet....I’d work at a Comic Book store and become a 90s
nerd
Kim Jong Un Said: Nobody except the government has access to the internet in North Korea
and they don’t mind That’s comforting.
John Wedderburn said: As I was already an adult in 1995 and didn't
have internet access, I think I would quickly adjust to not have the internet for a year.
I think those who lived without it would be better equipped to deal… my generation would
struggle massively.
Also, I guess devolution from business would be weird.