Could it all go down the drain?

I’ve been pondering about a crash since I was around 10 years old. Every year things get worse. 2006 was the hottest year in human history; 2005 had many hurricanes compared to normality; 12 species die daily; all the forests in the world might be depleted in less than 40 years; and international waters are being exploited. Most scientists also agree that a big catastrophe is heading our way, and we might not even be able to stop it. Certainly, no one can see the future, but if the plane is falling, it is definitely obvious that the machine is not working. This is indeed what is happening to society, and we could do is hope for the best. However, the best won’t occur by just watching everything happen, we have to do something about it. Possible? It might, all we have to do is try. The main issue is that humans are an animal of habit. In addition, Mother Culture constantly tells us that everything will be fine, because even if we try to make the planet a paradise, there is just something wrong with humans. “We are not perfect”, true, but we are also not incapable of solving our own issues. According to Ishmael, we will never stop leading this life because that would mean that we admit we are wrong and that we are not gods. Personally, I do not believe in gods, but humans do think that they have supremacy over the planet. How many times I’ve heard someone who tells me: it is just an ant? It is just a cat? Or it is just a dog? They are not just anything, they are species that deserve the same amount of “fire of life” that each human does. As long as each human blindly believes in superiority above everything, our story will end in either extinction or tragedy. There are, however, ways to help slow down such a misfortune. For example, if oil becomes more expensive, then people will invest more money on alternate sources of energy. Unfortunately, for people economy is much important than our planet. What most fail to realize is that if a major ecological catastrophe governs this planet, there will be a major economical crack. Nonetheless, I do not believe that the crash will result on the extinction of humans. Some may survive, but probably it would be like extinction. Many scientists compare humans to dinosaurs, both unable to change their destiny. We do learn by trial and error, and it is indeed very disastrous to do so when millions of people’s lives are at stake, but I still believe that it is the way every species learns. Many people will die, I don’t doubt it, and of course we are not going to be able to stop it. If we haven’t done anything about the subject now, we are never going to. Thus, it will be a horrible phase in the history of humanity, but I believe that our species will survive after all and learn how to live surrounded by other equally important species as well. Albert Einstein once said that “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Most people look back at everything man has done and they exclaim “Look at the progress”, yet there is an undeniable reverse effect. Takers have taken the path to get everything for them; an egotist idea that could only lead to ruins in a place that living with other species is an essential component o survival. We take everything for our own survival; destroy forests for space to live, to plant, and for many other reasons that seem incoherent. All this destruction is not worthwhile, and it will only lead to disaster. Calamity will certainly happen; I am sure of it. You see it from movies like an Inconvenient Truth to Newspaper articles. Everything seems to decay, and it is our entire fault. We are selfish, incapable of admitting responsibility, and ignorant. Other species care only for the endurance of each human individually while others cares for the survival overall of the species. This of course causes some major issues. The farmers form the First World feed poverty in the Third World. The main issue with this reality is that the planet is like an immense island, a big habitat, which holds over millions of species. Each species follows a certain rule, according to Ishmael. If food grows, population expands, and then food gets reduced. When this happen, members of a certain community will die, until a certain balance is achieved. This is the carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is the population level that can be supported for an organism, given the quantity of food, habitat, water and other life infrastructure present. However, since humans are generalists, we extend our habitat to the whole world. Thus, human population is increasing exponentially, taking everything on its path. For example, in 1900 40% of Ethopia was covered by forests, now only 4% is forested. Why? Because humans need to make way for their necessities without caring about other species’ rights. The problem with the prevention of this crash is not if it is possible, but if humanity is willing to pay its price.