State of the Planet I mean basically, we are really in the initial stages of what could be, but doesn’t have to be, the sixth great extinction in the history of life on Earth. We’ve got one-third of all amphibian species in dire straits, and, other groups may not be so dramatic but, the numbers are climbing. Well, I think in the United States what you see, if you look at the, the real information as opposed to the officially posted information, is an increasing number of endangered species and here and there, a couple of them dropping away to extinction. The causes are multiple. It’s habitat destruction. It’s various forms of pollution. It’s initial stages of climate change. And it’s a whole long list of things including, invasive species, ones that come from other places and, end up wreaking havoc where they arrive.