thing are looking pretty desolate right now . It ’s thought that the planet has lost around half of its wildlife in the last 40 years , as issue are frequently decimated . But if you thought that the cosmos ’s creatures might be able to catch a break , you ’re sadly misguided . Biologistshave now announcedthat by the close of the century it is potential that 50 pct of all specie will face extinction .

This prediction was foretell as biologists , environmentalist , and economic expert gathered at the Vaticanfor a conferenceon “ How To Save the Natural World on Which We Depend . ” It may seem slightly singular that the Catholic Church is host such a symposium , but Pope Francis has been incredibly vocal about the responsibility that the planet ’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics have towards protect the environs from devastation and climate variety .

“ The living cloth of the world … is slip through our finger’s breadth without our show much sign of caring,”write the Pontifical Academy of Sciences , who organized the group discussion . In fact , during the Pope’s2015 encyclical , which is the apostolical letter sent to all bishop , he advert how destroying the world ’s environments and altering its climate is a “ sin against ourselves and a sin against God , ” while going on to have a whole division dedicated to pollution and mood change .

Over the 3.7 billion years that there has been aliveness on the rock we call Earth , it has weathered five major defunctness events . The worst of these , aptly ring the Great Dying , saw roughly 96 pct of all life obliterated , while the last event is the one that caused the demise of the dinosaurs   and the rise of mammals .

It is now thoughtthat we are well and truly into a 6th mass extinction outcome . But rather than being driven alone by climate or geological activity , this result is different : It is being make by us . Species go extinct all the time , at a   innate rate of around five or so year . But since we have been cutting down woodland , pump carbon into the atmosphere , and drag trillions of Pisces the Fishes from the seas , this pace has ramped up to between 1,000 and 10,000 that born rate .

This has go biologists to suggest that if nothing transfer and everything continues as normal , mankind - made climate modification coupled with vivid activity such as log and excavation will intend that half of every single species living on this planet will be balancing on the brink of endurance . They highlight not only the charismatic tigers and cat bear but the microorganisms , plants , and fungi that will also be wipe from the Earth .

There is , however , one controvertible measure that is sure to divide the church from the scientist , namely that of universe mastery , with the Pope still staunchly anti - contraception .