environment

Is it possible to heal the damage we have already done to the Earth?

15 Comments
By Scott Denning

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"Is it possible to heal the damage we have already done to the Earth?"

Mankind, us, live in Human Time. Our climate lives in geological time and the scale of the two are quite different. And, given that our carbon dependent rulers are making NO effort to curtail the addition of both CO₂ and CH₄ to our atmosphere and new drilling for same constantly approved, coupled with the VERY determined and accelerating destruction of the very mechanisms that would be necessary for such 'healing' (e.g. 'rain forest') by Corporate, the possibility of 'healing' may have to await the next instance of ecosphere which will follow the current Mass Extinction Event now well underway caused by the most invasive and destructive organism known in Earth's geological history...and we are still only in the earliest stages of what is now inexorable and universal change. Again, geological time rolls slowly compared to a Human lifespan but it rolls without mercy or care, even for the self-described "Most Noble" of all creatures...

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There was a large volcanic event 252 million years ago which lasted millions of years, and caused the extinction of 75% of species on earth. The simultaneous detonation of all nuclear warheads ever made would not amount even a fraction of 1% of the ecological disaster caused by the Permian volcanic event. The earth has endured and recovered from calamities countless orders of magnitude greater than anything man could cause. But there is something in people which finds doomsday stories appealing, even to the point of basing religions around them.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

"The earth has endured and recovered..."

But NOT with the same species that existed before the MEEs. There have been 5 MEEs documented and, possibly 6, but none that can be attributed to the invasive overgrowth of a single, pathological species...so this one will be unique to those who study it those uncountable millions of years in the future...but just a day to the 4.5 Billion year old Earth. If any Baboons survive, it could be much shorter as their innate social structure is much more similar to what was that of the early Hominins despite our 97-98% Chimpanzee genetics.

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Yes it is possible, by shrinking the global population and allowing the environment to recuperate . However, there is zero will among our leaders do anything about that. In fact, in many countries, like Japan and Canada, the policymakers are keen to increase the population. Hence, we're doomed.

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Sadly the greedy people run the earth. When they have been removed the earth will heal but until then unless we find something economically beneficial to them to fix the planet we are stuffed!

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As others have pointed out, geological time is VERY different from time us humans experience, in the end the earth will "recover" but as other have also pointed out, way before mankind started wreaking havoc on the planet, mother nature has done her thing, life expanded, then contracted several times. And this WILL continue.

When looking at the damage us humans continue to cause the answer is simple, the only way the earth will start recovering is when mankind is in irreversible decline towards extinction, until we reach that tipping point mankind will overall continue to destroy. Rest assured mother nature is working on this as we all type, but she takes her time, but she WILL PREVAIL.

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Why am I being blamed for something I haven't done ?

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Whenever I or a co-worker get too worried about the Earth- our planet- I think of George Carlin...

I'm sharing this YouTube link, but as a forewarning it contains viewpoints/ humor/ words/ etc. that not all readers may agree with. So watch at your discretion:

https://youtu.be/7W33HRc1A6c

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No.

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There are more grave existential threats closer in the future than climate change. The curve of planetary capacity to produce food and the population curve are going to cross in about one generation. I’m glad I won’t be around then.

Wars will be fought for food and water.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Yes it is possible, by shrinking the global population and allowing the environment to recuperate . However, there is zero will among our leaders do anything about that. In fact, in many countries, like Japan and Canada, the policymakers are keen to increase the population. Hence, we're doomed.

Populations in developed countries are indeed shrinking, some rather rapidly. It seems education and a high standard of living are the best birth control. Large crowded and often expensive cities seems to accelerate the process. Among the most developed nations, the three dozen members of the OECD, only France has a total fertility rate approaching replacement. All the developed nations of Asia are looking at rapid population declines in the near future. All of the EU except France are likewise looking at rapidly aging and declining populations. One even sees this trend in Latin America.

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Why am I being blamed for something I haven't done ?

Au contraire, we all share responsibility for this situation. All of us without exception. We elect governments and make purchasing decisions we have to accept responsibility for. We create the demand for the products whos production and transportation is responsible for much of the pollution harming our planet. Everyone cries they want lower taxes but that restricts the ability of our governments to make the changes necessary to reduce global emissions.

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