> He's presumably referring to a geologic timescale. This [1] graph is telling. There have been numerous extinction events, even before the existence of humanity.
All of those were caused by global Earth-level geological events or extraterrestrial objects such as massive asteroids. The latest extinction event is caused by a single species. It is absolutely an exceptional extinction event and the only one of its kind.
> Human industrialization is certainly causing plentiful destruction, yet it will also likely be the one thing that may possibly save the lives of countless species.
Technology will never not create more problems as it attempts to solve problems caused by other technology.
The point about technology is that there is no choice. It's not like if we did nothing, everything would just live happily ever after. Every species on this planet is living on borrowed time. Literally the only choice for the persistence is advancement and expansion, which of course will also cause numerous negative effects along its course.
Also, the first [1] (and one of the most extreme) extinction events ever was indeed caused by a single species, cyanobacteria. Prior to the evolutionary development of photosynthesis, there was plentiful simple life on the planet. The evolutionary emergence of photosynthesis resulted in a dramatic and rapid introduction of oxygen into Earth's atmosphere which was exceptionally toxic to the existing abiotic species. We only think of oxygen as a good thing, because we evolved in its presence. If there was an advanced species that managed to evolve in abiotic circumstance, we'd probably look as weird to them as a creature that breathes gaseous arsenic would look to us!
All of those were caused by global Earth-level geological events or extraterrestrial objects such as massive asteroids. The latest extinction event is caused by a single species. It is absolutely an exceptional extinction event and the only one of its kind.
> Human industrialization is certainly causing plentiful destruction, yet it will also likely be the one thing that may possibly save the lives of countless species.
Technology will never not create more problems as it attempts to solve problems caused by other technology.