Staring Down Cultural Extinction

“If someone suggested to a room full of people that 100 years from now, half of all the world’s flora and fauna would no longer exist, it’s likely that at least a few of them would be worried enough to so do something. They might donate a few dollars to the World Wildlife Fund, or maybe go so far as to sit atop a redwood that was about to be cut down. But what would the reaction be if someone suggested that half the world’s cultures and languages would no longer exist?” Two someones are suggesting exactly that, and they’re convinced that they can do something about it, too.