News: Mass extinction is upon us, what will earth be without human

MaRy

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The sixth mass extinction is nearly upon us. Species on Earth are dying out at a rate one thousand times greater than they were before humans began altering the environment. By the end of this century, scientists warn, anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of the species on Earth could be lost forever.

And among those who might not make it out the other side, says science writer Michael Tennesen, are humans.

It’s to be expected: No species lasts forever, and in our relatively short existence, humanity has done an impressively good job of undermining the forces necessary for our survival. But while we’re already taking a number of species out with us, Tennesen argues, nature is resilient: the end of man won’t necessarily mean the end of life itself. “Plants, animals, and microbes will survive, adapt, diversify, and proliferate,” he writes of life after man. “New plants will evolve to vanquish our monocultures of corn, wheat, and rice. With far fewer animals around, those species that survive the bottleneck of extinction will move into newly abandoned spaces. With little competition, they will thrive and rapidly evolve.”

If you look at the past, the driver of four out of the five mass extinctions has been carbon dioxide.

People talk about the principle driver being climate change, but I really think it’s population growth. I mean, in 1800 we had a billion people, and right now we have 7 billion — only 200 years later. We’re expecting to have 9 billion by the mid-century and 10 or 11 billion out there by the end of the century. This has just happened in our lifetimes: the big growth was after World War II in the United States. It’s the driving force, but we’re not looking at it, and I really believe that climate change would not be such a horrible problem right now if we only had 1 billion people on Earth. It’s something that we don’t want to look at. That’s even more taboo than climate change.

Yeah, that would help. Toward the end of the book I talk about the fact that there have been some examples of that, some major changes. We did get rid of slavery. That was a major thing; we needed a major change of thought. Women’s suffrage is a major change in the way society runs. Today, our growing acceptance for homosexuality could also another change in society. So we could have a major change in society, but what it requires of us is to pull back from the dinner table, essentially. There can’t be as many of us. Maybe we could have 1 billion, and I don’t know how that happens.

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/14/when...ter_were_gone/

6 Apple St

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what will earth be without human

A better earth that's what.

alex_katycat

The end is near

Tymps.

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People talk about the principle driver being climate change, but I really think it’s population growth. I mean, in 1800 we had a billion people, and right now we have 7 billion — only 200 years later. We’re expecting to have 9 billion by the mid-century and 10 or 11 billion out there by the end of the century. This has just happened in our lifetimes: the big growth was after World War II in the United States. It’s the driving force, but we’re not looking at it, and I really believe that climate change would not be such a horrible problem right now if we only had 1 billion people on Earth. It’s something that we don’t want to look at. That’s even more taboo than climate change.

Yeah, that would help. Toward the end of the book I talk about the fact that there have been some examples of that, some major changes. We did get rid of slavery. That was a major thing; we needed a major change of thought. Women’s suffrage is a major change in the way society runs. Today, our growing acceptance for homosexuality could also another change in society. So we could have a major change in society, but what it requires of us is to pull back from the dinner table, essentially. There can’t be as many of us. Maybe we could have 1 billion, and I don’t know how that happens.

but overpopulation doesnt exist!!!!!1!!2!

Chucko

I totally agree a few billion people going bye bye would be a big help. Liberals since it was your idea, I will allow you to go first.

MaRy

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Originally posted by Chucko

I totally agree a few billion people going bye bye would be a big help. Liberals since it was your idea, I will allow you to go first.

Republicans need to go first since they are the ones creating most pollution and CO2, and they would rapidly procreate new generations of earth destroying people

Homosexuals need to be the last to since we don't reproduce and love animals and plants

that G.U.Y.

LG5 will end climate change.

BlackAura

LG5 will end world polution.

Igrt

Why did I even come here?

This kind of stuff scares me tbh.

Badger

The time of the badger is coming

MarryTheMonster

End poverty and the population will stop growing, not like that's easy but it's what we should try to do

MaRy

here what would happen if all the humans disappeared all of a sudden

Raphy23

Cain

TheSoneNavy

AP by me about a year ago lol

Su-Barbie-A

I hope so.

6 Apple St

wasn't there a thread about the possible futures we could face and that we were down the tragic one?

manwhore

Take me to your planet, Venus!

devotedtokesha

Quote:

Originally posted by MaRy

here what would happen if all the humans disappeared all of a sudden

This gives me anxiety.

Horse

Nature will recover. It always does