J

em>June 20, Online/AFP

The world is embarking on its sixth mass extinction, with animals disappearing about 100 times faster than they used to, scientists warned Friday, and humans could be among the first victims. Not since the age of the dinosaurs ended 66 million years ago has the planet been losing species at this rapid a rate, said a study led by experts at Stanford University, Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Your comments:

We cannot call ourselves civilized if we allow magnificent species like the tiger, the African elephant and the rhino to disappear, all so a few dollars can be made off their skins, horns and tusks. Capitalism is a philosophy of greed unless it is balanced with other values. We need to move away from the worship of money as the only good.

Lasem Benny

If another thing caused the same amount of damage to the environment, we would have to call it a virus. But because we humans do it, we call it progress.

Kevin Sean

Yes that mass extinction coincided with the arrival of man on those continents 50,000 years ago. It'€™s our nature to destroy. This is where complex systems of principles can save us from our dark proclivities.

So, Christian or not, the pope should be applauded. Religion could be a great vehicle for the concepts of conservation. I hope that other religions and sects will take up this call and begin the work of permeating our masses with the message of conservation.

Marcus