Timothy C. Weiskel

Timothy C. Weiskel, associate director of the Pacific Rim Research Center at Harvard University, asserts in the following viewpoint that the geometric growth of the human population is responsible for an unprecedented extinction of other species of flora and fauna and a general degradation of the planet’s biodiversity. If countermeasures are not taken immediately, Weiskel argues, the continued decimation of the earth’s resources could lead to starvation, war, and even the extinction of mankind.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In the author’s view, what are the two important differences that exist between the present “extinction event” and the one that resulted in the demise of the dinosaurs?
2. According to Weiskel, why have humans remained ignorant of, and indifferent to, the fate of other species?
3. How...