Sixth Mass Extinction

We can Alter Trajectory  

Universities have immense potential to predict the future when it comes to climate change which undoubtedly is the most fatal threat to our planet. This potential is enhanced and précised by big data and modelling. Smart digital technologies are coming to help in assessing the future under climate change.

Two researchers from the Department of Geo-science of Princeton University, Justin Penn (a PhD research associate) and Curtis Deutsch (a professor) have predicted something that is incredible and extremely disturbing. Roughly 25o million years ago, near the end of the Permian Period, 90% of all marine life vanished mainly because of the eruption of volcanoes that belched out carbon dioxide. The heating of the oceans, just like what is happening today, due to global warming caused the largest extinction event in Earth's history.

In a paper published in Science journal a week back, the two scientists argue that, if our own present greenhouse emissions continue unchecked, warming waters and oxygen loss at sea could by themselves lead to a mass extinction rivalling the planet's five worst catastrophes. They suggest it could be significant enough to erase much of the species diversification that has occurred since the end-Cretaceous extinction that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

The oceans where life originated on our planet have been set on the path to death by humans.

We can alter this dangerous trajectory, the same two university researchers have predicted by using another set of models. Curtailing emissions rapidly could reduce extinction risks by 70%. Parallel to such rapid greenhouse gas reductions if the concerted efforts are made to halt ocean pollution, overfishing, and other marine stresses, then we would give ocean life an even better chance of long-term survival, with just about 5% of extinction of marine animals. We'd be avoiding a mass extinction. "At 2 degrees [Celsius] of warming, you could see a 10% loss, the paper stated. The University students and faculty do not only give warnings but also show the way to take action. The vast oceans need extensive data to be deployed for peeping into the future.

Smart Campus Cloud Network ( sccnhub.com) encourages such positive work in the Universities. Researchers from the Universities can use smart modelling and share the results through SCCN's dashboard. Such work can accelerate the action leading to Carbon Neutrality. SCCN encourages universities to pledge carbon neutrality. 'Not Zero-Net Zero' is the pledge formulated under SCCN that can be taken and implemented by Universities .250+ Universities are now cooperating with SCCN to implement Carbon Neutrality on their campus.

 Dr Rajendra Shende, 

Chairman - TERRE Policy Centre,

Former Director UNEP, IIT Alumni  

Coordinating lead author of IPCC.