Many ecologists and biologists say we’re on the precipice (or already in the midst) of another era of mass extinction. This sixth mass extinction, also referred to as the Holocene or Anthropocene extinction, is described as ongoing and caused by human activities. Extinction is tough to trackThough Wiens describes our moment as a biodiversity crisis, he doesn’t believe it meets the bar for a sixth mass extinction. He worries that claims about the sixth extinction might leave the public resigned to what might otherwise be a preventable catastrophe. CREDIT: Getty Images Sirachai ArunrugstichaiNotably, the IPBES report doesn’t directly consider the influence of climate change on future extinction rate.