When I was at the Field Museum in Chicago a few years back they had a counter in one of the exhibits that showed the amount of species going extinct that day. It was more than I thought! The unfortunate takeaway is that the planet is currently undergoing a mass extinction. Stay optimistic: the difference between this extinction event and past ones is that we have the power to change its course. Progress is being made but it needs to accelerate. According to a recent article in the journal Science:
Half the Planet Should be Set Aside for Wildlife – To Save Ourselves
Upside Up Life 