It’s been an ominous week for the Earth.

First, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study Monday that warned a current decline in animal populations is happening, is a “global epidemic” and part of the “ongoing sixth mass extinction,” saying in the abstract to their study, “humanity needs to address anthropogenic population extirpation and decimation immediately.”

Human destruction of animal habitats was blamed for the loss of animal populations – the first time humans are being blamed for mass extinction. The previous five extinctions were caused by natural phenomena, the New York Times said.

The newspaper reported: “Conservatively, scientists estimate that 200 species have gone extinct in the past 100 years; the ‘normal’ extinction rate over the past two million years has been that two species go extinct every 100 years because of evolutionary and other factors.”

Read more at The Loveland Reporter-Herald.