Sixth mass extinction ‘already triggered’

Humans have already triggered the start of Earth’s sixth mass extinction, thereby threatening their own future as a species, a study has claimed.

The window of opportunity to prevent the worst diversity disaster since dinosaurs were swept from the planet 65m years ago is “rapidly closing”.

In the last century, vertebrates have been disappearing at a rate 114 times higher than would normally be expected without the destructive influence of humans, according to the scientists, who insist their analysis is “extremely conservative”.