The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

Can we save threatened animals and ecosystems in the midst of a mass extinction? The answer is a resounding yes! Before They Vanish shows us how. In this wise and impassioned book, renowned conservation scientists Paul R. Ehrlich, Gerardo Ceballos, and Rodolfo Dirzo urge us to shift our thinking rather than succumb to grief over the losses that humanity faces. This comprehensive look at a crucial but often overlooked aspect of conservation―population extinction, or the loss of a species within a specific geographic location―guides us onto a new, hopeful path.

The authors argue that conservationists have placed too much emphasis on the extinction of entire species, which occurs gradually enough that we only detect it in the direst of cases. By that time, meaningful action may be impossible. By shifting our focus to identifying extinction threats at the more localized population level, we can intervene more rapidly and effectively to prevent broader declines before it’s too late. This change in perspective represents a critical step in saving these vanishing species; early detection and intervention may be our last, best hope for stemming the tide of this global crisis.

Using examples from the worlds of vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, fungi, and microorganisms, the authors explain the concept of population extinction, its causes and consequences, and how to prevent the mass destruction of the amazing and unique creatures with whom we share our planet. This call to action is a must-read for anyone concerned with saving endangered and threatened species, our natural world―and ourselves.

Paul Ehrlich is the emeritus Bing Professor of Population Studies in the Department of Biology and the president of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. Ehrlich has won a MacArthur Foundation genius award, a Heinz Award for the environment, and shared Sweden’s Crafoord Prize (to support those areas of science not covered by the Nobel Prizes) with biologist E. O. Wilson. He is the author of The Population Bomb, Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect, Life: A Journey Through Science and Politics, The Cold and the Dark: The World After Nuclear War, Extinctions, The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment, and a textbook on Population, Resources, Environment: Issues in Human Ecology. His new book is Before They Vanish: Saving Nature’s Populations—and Ourselves.

Shermer and Ehrlich discuss:

• What he got wrong in the Population Bomb
• How many people the Earth can support at a Mexico-level of wealth
• Public vs. Private solutions to environmental problems and species extinction
• De-extinction measures (cloning extinct animals and bring them back)
• Why he is pro-human as well as pro-environment
• Why environmental activists who harm others and property are wrong
• In the last five centuries, some 1,000 species of vertebrates have been recorded as becoming extinct, and the authors’ research has shown that the vertebrates lost in the last century alone would have taken some 10,000 years to vanish under normal conditions.
• The differences between population and species extinctions.
• Why we are living in a Sixth Mass Extinction
• Extinction of vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, fungi, and microorganisms
• The direct and indirect costs of the mass extinction of the world’s threatened creatures on humans.
• Causes of extinction
• Solutions and actions to tackle the present and impending effects of mass extinction
• Political violence and divisiveness today vs. the 1960s and 1860s.

If you enjoy the podcast, please show your support by making a $5 or $10 monthly donation.