Right now... we are deciding, without quite meaning to, which evolutionary pathways will remain open and which will forever be closed. No other creature has ever managed this, and it will, unfortunately, be our most enduring legacy.Elizabeth Kolbert
Though it might be nice to imagine there once was a time when man lived in harmony with nature, it’s not clear that he ever really did.Elizabeth Kolbert
Polar bears are disappearing. By the time my daughter is my age, they may well be extinct. The cause of their extinction will not be predation, or slow habitat loss, but a galloping, catastrophic loss that is directly attributable to human activities.Elizabeth Kolbert
In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it perches.Elizabeth Kolbert
The world will be a much different place and not a very pleasant one, unless we take action now.Elizabeth Kolbert
Science shows us what we are up against, what needs to be done and how quickly… The rest is up to all of us.Elizabeth Kolbert
People don't realize just how rapidly species are dying out, until it's too late.Elizabeth Kolbert
The rate of extinction is today hundreds or possibly thousands of times higher than the 'background' rate, and this is a direct result of human activity.Elizabeth Kolbert
How we think about that mass extinction we are in the midst of will determine what we are willing to try to save.Elizabeth Kolbert
To argue that the current extinction event could be averted if people just cared more and were willing to make more sacrifices is not wrong, exactly; still, it misses the point.Elizabeth Kolbert