overpopulation.

Overpopulation is a global crisis that a majority of people seem to want to ignore.  While it's most likely to blame for multiple of our problems in the world today, it has an even bigger effect on the wildlife population.  As we increase in size and take up more space, we kick the wildlife out of the areas they lived in first.  Not only does that cause a decline in species, but the individuals left in the area often have no choice but to come in frequent contact with people; this results in fatalities most usually in the form of livestock.  Animals are an important part of the ecosystem, but people often don't realize the importance of plants and insects as well.  When a human plants what's known as an invasive species of plant, the native plants of the area begin to decline which in turn causes a decrease in the insects that depend on those plants.  A decline in insects causes a decline in the birds that feed on them, as well as other small animals, and as you can guess it causes a bit of a cascade effect that ultimately starts and ends with us: people.  There are too many of us and we're still growing.  The sixth mass extinction is taking place right now, who else could be to blame?

The world's population nearly quadrupled in a mere decade.  We have exceeded seven billion and are predicted to reach nine billion by the year 2050.  Growing numbers like that at such an alarming rate demands more space - and a ton of it.  While we are busy harvesting lands for our own needs, we are simultaneously removing natural wildlife that needs the same land as well.  Humans are greedy by nature and continue to take from the Earth to please ourselves, destroying the planet in the mean time.  So many problems facing the world today can be pinned on what some people call the elephant in the room - too many people.

We live on a finite planet and sometimes our impact on it is greater than we realize. The seemingly isolated actions we take every day—from our choice of morning beverage to our choice of business practices—are often links in a chain of unusual connections we would never have imagined.