The Sixth Extinction Quotes

“No creature has ever altered life on the planet… and yet… comparable events have occurred.” (Prologue)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: In the prologue, author Elizabeth Kolbert first presents the thesis that will drive the book: humans have changed and will continue to change the composition of Earth’s ecology. Their impact on the planet mirrors the colossal catastrophes that caused mass extinction events. Kolbert will spend the entirety of the text systematically proving this thesis.

“The history of life thus consists of ‘long periods of boredom interrupted occasionally by panic.’” (Chapter 1)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Kolbert quotes American paleontologist David Raup examining the rarity of extinction when viewed through the lens of history. This idea reflects the current understanding of extinction, which combines both catastrophism and uniformitarianism.

“I’d come… to write about the scale of human influence… I seemed… small.” (Chapter 7)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Visiting the Great Barrier Reef, Kolbert and a postdoctoral student go off route while trying to collect water samples. As they make their way back, Kolbert is struck by the beauty of the stars in the profound darkness. Here she contrasts the bleak influence that she, as a member of the human race, has had on Earth, with the smallness of her humanity.

“If the magnitude of the change is similar, the rate is not, and… rate is key.” (Chapter 8)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Here, Kolbert discusses the rate of temperature change projected for the coming century. Although the temperature change is similar in magnitude to the “swings of the ice ages,” when many creatures were able to migrate to survive, the rate of change today is at least 10 times faster. This means that to survive, organisms will have to migrate or adapt at 10 times the rate.

Kolbert develops the theme of the ticking clock to show the impact humans have had not just on the environment itself but on the pace of transformation.

“Low odds in the long run can still be deadly.” (Chapter 9)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Kolbert provides the example of a pair of birds on an island to demonstrate “relaxation,” the ecological term used to describe a delay of extinction that sometimes happens for smaller populations; however, extinction is often still imminent. This has implications not just for small populations but for isolated ones, such as those increasingly found on islands. In presenting these cases, Kolbert emphasizes the randomness of life, which increases the probability of catastrophe over time.

“Man was a killer… an ‘overkiller’—pretty much right from the start.” (Chapter 11)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Writing about the disappearance of the megafauna (animals of large size), Kolbert places the potential blame on humans, even as long as 25,000-40,000 years ago. Her assertion that humans could have caused such a cataclysmic event so long ago certainly strengthens her argument that humans have changed and are changing the chemistry and makeup of Earth in a way that no other species ever has before.

“It might be nice to imagine… man lived in harmony with nature, it’s not clear… he ever… did.” (Chapter 11)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Here, Kolbert develops the main idea that humans are a fundamentally disruptive species and from their very origins began to change the face of the planet. With this idea, Kolbert implies that humanity is a force that nature may not be able to contain and, as such, has pushed the environment to the brink of extinction.

“It doesn’t much matter whether people care or don’t care… people change the world.” (Chapter 13)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Continuing the idea that humans have permanently altered the environment, Kolbert looks to the future. Although she concedes that, by nature, people are able to care for other species, she wonders if it is too late. “Caring,” she surmises, is not enough to undo the damage that has been and continues to be done, and it is unclear whether the damage can be reversed.

“In life… past performance is no guarantee of future results.” (Chapter 13)

– Elizabeth Kolbert

Analysis: Kolbert points to one of “the most sobering” lessons: periods when historic evolutionary advantages (e.g., the size of megafauna) abruptly became distinct disadvantages leading to extinction in the face of sudden “catastrophe” (e.g., the emergence of humans).

Kolbert proposes this idea not only to point to humans as a cause of catastrophe but to show that humans are as fragile as any other species. Kolbert wants readers to question whether humanity could be causing its own demise.

“In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is… sawing off the limb on which it perches.” (Chapter 13)

– Paul Ehrlich

Analysis: This quote by American biologist Paul Ehrlich is posted on a sign at the American Museum of Natural History. It emphasizes Kolbert’s main idea that humans are causing the sixth mass extinction. Ehrlich proposes that humans have engineered their own demise, demonstrated throughout the text by examples such as the decay of the Great Barrier Reef.