The economics of ecosystem services - Potsdam Institute for Climate ...

Trends
Fossil records - on average, species have come into existence at a
higher rate than they have gone extinct � biodiversity increased over
time
Five brief periods in the history of the earth during which the extinction
rate was very high
65 million years ago -10% of terrestrial species, incl. the dinosaurs,
and –15% of marine species
Cause: climate change, possibly associated with an asteroid impact
250 million years ago -90% of marine animals
Cause: extreme climate change.
Every species will become extinct at some point; virtually all species
that have existed are extinct.