Extinction Events and the Future of Homo Sapiens

Today I want to reach beyond the individualized concepts of dying and discuss extinction. 

As a whole, modern humans view extinction as a phenomenon that happens out there- meaning that it doesn't have much effect on us, but rather is experienced by other manner of flora and fauna unrelated or at most distantly related to us.   We externalize this, and read about it in science books or on blogs. But our relationship to extinction - which is loosely defined as the finite end of a species (when the last of that particular species is biomechanically deceased) - is much more intimate than that.  

Generally, modern humans consider themselves removed from nature. Nature, to us, is something that exists separate from us, out there. A forest might be a place we go on a nature walk or a hike, and a river is a pretty site to see as we drive by on the road that passes it.   Our removal of ourselves from nature in this way (though the removal is only a perception, not a reality, but I'll talk more on that later) has skewed our understanding of our own existence and caused a great and lasting strain on our natural environment.  More importantly, it has - relentlessly but quietly - positioned us on a precipice from which we face the possibility of no return. 

Before you begin googling such topics as "how to survive the apocalypse" or other such fodder, let's first remember that humans have lived through long emergencies many times in our history, and we have hsitorically always emerged intact (for the most part anyway).  Climate change is not a new experience on our plant; climate change has always been here.   However, anthropocentrically engineered climate change has not.  What we experiencing now is a first for both us and our planet. 

That being said,  this climate change will likely follow the path that historcal changes have taken.  While it is possible that some catrastrophic event (like an impact event) could happen, it is much more likely that what we will experience will be pockets of natural distasters (some quite severe) over the curve of time, alongside economic and political upheavals that upset our current modes of living and geographic boundaries.   The next 200 to 400 years will see a reduction in cheap energy sources, rising costs in healthcare, decline in overall public health, bipolar curves in economic activity ranging from heights of prosperty to deep cliffs of extreme decline, and more.   In addition, weather patterns will continue to change, and we'll see growing seasons lengthen and shorten in response in various locations throughout the world.  Agriculture - especially on the scale we currently practice it - will change dramatically.    Food will become much less readily available, and what is available will likely serve only to abate hunger rather than provide any actual nutrition (we're seeing this now, actually).   

Extinction happens - we have scientific proof. 

Remember the Roman Empire?   Our current global hegemony reflects some similar characteristics. Add climate upheaval to that boiling cauldron and the recipe looks even more ghastly.    If you look this up online, you'll see a smattering of every argument available - from doomsday hypotheses to denials - and everything in between.  I would remind readers, however, of one proven fact:  extinction happens (we have evidence).   

Back to what I mentioned a bit ago about our anthropocentric view of our environments: we consider ourselves removed from them, that they are phenomena experienced by us, and not phenomena in which we participate.  In our pursuit of unimportant goals (like money and power) we have abandoned our care of the planet - along with its lifegiving resources - and when faced with the death of those things to which we have turned our attention, we find ourselves unadaptable and unable to cope.   This resistance, not the actual change itself, is what could possibly lead to the extinction of homo sapiens.  

But the ink isn't yet dry on our future.   Extinction isn't a given.  It's just one possibility, and even at that, it would take a long, long time. So why should we even care? 

Because if we don't, then who will? Our children? Their children? Their children after that?  Is it our desire to leave a legacy of deforested landscapes and rotting cities behind for them to inherit? Or do we want a richer, fuller life for our descendants - better than the ones we have had?  That, too, can be our legacy, but it's going to take a lot of work.   Movements like Global Climate March and the Global Climate Strike are great ideas, but they lack the impacts of real and lasting change. Climate activists like Greta Thunberg appear heroic; messiance even to some.  But these are merely small marbles on a big gameboard, and the pieces that need to be moved the most are the ones that we ourselves play with every hand. 

This probably isn't the legacy we want to leave for our descendants. 

If we want to avoid the potential for human extinction, we need to reimagine our relationship with our planet.   There is no avoiding the climatic shift we are experiencing, it is too late for that.      But there are a great many things we can do to avert the extinction horizon, and reinvent our methods of living in our environments.   I will discuss these in another post in a few days.  

And don't worry - this is still a blog about death.  But I hope you're beginning to understand now that death and life are two wings of the same bird.   

More to come.