The Biosphere Under Attack: Volcanoes, Impacts and Mass Extinctions

The geological record shows that our biosphere was shaken half a dozen times in the past by major crises, known as great mass extinctions – the most recent installment being the End-Cretaceous demise of the dinosaurs and the vast majority of other species, 66 million years ago. Our course will review the purported causes of mass extinctions – asteroid impacts, volcanic upheavals, and other culprits still to be identified – and offers an original perspective to judge the severity and pace of the ongoing crisis that threatens our biosphere today, in the face of deforestation and climate change.