161
Humanity needs to re-examine our interactions with Planet Earth, not just
because of the harm we are doing to the environment, but because of the harm the
environment is doing to us. We are an integral part of the terrestrial ecosystem, and
any damage we do to it, we do to ourselves. Bad air and poisoned water affect ecosystems, but they also affect us. We have to breathe, we have to drink, and we have
to eat. The old idea that humans were masters of the Earth is wrong. We are merely
tenants here like every other living creature, and not great tenants at that – we certainly haven’t taken very good care of the place. If we keep it up, there will be a
reckoning soon with the landlady, Mother Nature.
The main excuse being given for keeping things the way they are is jobs. Claims
that coal mining, oil drilling, steel mills, and rustbelt manufacturing must be revived
and expanded because people need these jobs for their livelihood is old thinking,
and a sentimental pining away for some imagined good old days. Many of these
jobs are as obsolete as elevator operators or railroad porters. A single worker with a
front end loader can mine more coal in a day than dozens of old-style miners with
picks and shovels. Modern factories using computer-controlled robots can build
automobiles faster, cleaner, and far more efficiently than Henry Ford’s giant Rouge
River plant in Detroit at the height of Model T production in 1920, and with just a
fraction of the work force. The old jobs are not coming back, but there are plenty of
new jobs out there instead.
New thinking creates new industries, which lead to new jobs. Look at travel: 100
years ago, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean took 5 days on an ocean liner.
People back then would be astounded to learn that we can do it now in 5 hours.
Airplanes were still a dangerous novelty in 1920, Lindbergh wouldn’t cross the
Atlantic until 1927, and jet engines wouldn’t be invented for another quarter century. No one had yet heard of a commercial airline pilot, a flight attendant, an air
traffic controller, or a credit card customer service agent, all of which are part of a
modern trans-Atlantic crossing. These are new careers that came from new industries. Undoubtedly, the development and deployment of new technologies to repair
the planet will also create a host of jobs with new names that we’ve never heard of,
and provide employment for numerous people.
Some ideas and recommendations for ways to address energy and climate change
so the Earth can operate in a sustainable manner are presented in the last two chapters. However, for any of them to work, it will require citizen support, political will,
a desire to change the status quo, and a willingness to re-think how things are done.
The good news is that each and every issue threatening the environment, including
climate change, CAN be fixed with the implementation of the right technology and
policy. Most of these problems were caused by technology and policy in the first
place, so it stands to reason that they can be addressed using the same tools.
The bad news is that we must get started on this soon, or risk joining the sixth
mass extinction. A few scientists estimate that we have up to 1000 years to get
everything in order. Many others are far more pessimistic, giving humanity a century at the outside, and more likely 50 years if we don’t start taking action soon.
Most of the experts agree that continuing business as usual with our current trends
in energy, environmental degradation, and resource utilization will take us over the
9.1 The Sixth Mass Extinction
Humanity needs to re-examine our interactions with Planet Earth, not just
because of the harm we are doing to the environment, but because of the harm the
environment is doing to us. We are an integral part of the terrestrial ecosystem, and
any damage we do to it, we do to ourselves. Bad air and poisoned water affect ecosystems, but they also affect us. We have to breathe, we have to drink, and we have
to eat. The old idea that humans were masters of the Earth is wrong. We are merely
tenants here like every other living creature, and not great tenants at that – we certainly haven’t taken very good care of the place. If we keep it up, there will be a
reckoning soon with the landlady, Mother Nature.
The main excuse being given for keeping things the way they are is jobs. Claims
that coal mining, oil drilling, steel mills, and rustbelt manufacturing must be revived
and expanded because people need these jobs for their livelihood is old thinking,
and a sentimental pining away for some imagined good old days. Many of these
jobs are as obsolete as elevator operators or railroad porters. A single worker with a
front end loader can mine more coal in a day than dozens of old-style miners with
picks and shovels. Modern factories using computer-controlled robots can build
automobiles faster, cleaner, and far more efficiently than Henry Ford’s giant Rouge
River plant in Detroit at the height of Model T production in 1920, and with just a
fraction of the work force. The old jobs are not coming back, but there are plenty of
new jobs out there instead.
New thinking creates new industries, which lead to new jobs. Look at travel: 100
years ago, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean took 5 days on an ocean liner.
People back then would be astounded to learn that we can do it now in 5 hours.
Airplanes were still a dangerous novelty in 1920, Lindbergh wouldn’t cross the
Atlantic until 1927, and jet engines wouldn’t be invented for another quarter century. No one had yet heard of a commercial airline pilot, a flight attendant, an air
traffic controller, or a credit card customer service agent, all of which are part of a
modern trans-Atlantic crossing. These are new careers that came from new industries. Undoubtedly, the development and deployment of new technologies to repair
the planet will also create a host of jobs with new names that we’ve never heard of,
and provide employment for numerous people.
Some ideas and recommendations for ways to address energy and climate change
so the Earth can operate in a sustainable manner are presented in the last two chapters. However, for any of them to work, it will require citizen support, political will,
a desire to change the status quo, and a willingness to re-think how things are done.
The good news is that each and every issue threatening the environment, including
climate change, CAN be fixed with the implementation of the right technology and
policy. Most of these problems were caused by technology and policy in the first
place, so it stands to reason that they can be addressed using the same tools.
The bad news is that we must get started on this soon, or risk joining the sixth
mass extinction. A few scientists estimate that we have up to 1000 years to get
everything in order. Many others are far more pessimistic, giving humanity a century at the outside, and more likely 50 years if we don’t start taking action soon.
Most of the experts agree that continuing business as usual with our current trends
in energy, environmental degradation, and resource utilization will take us over the
9.1 The Sixth Mass Extinction