Top scientists say that our planet is in dire straights and that humanity is doomed. They say that the state of the planet is far worse than any of us realize (or at least want to admit), and that, eventually, the human race will follow the path of 99.9% of species before us and go extinct. (1)
Experts Say Humanity Is Doomed
Seventeen climate experts from Australia, Mexico, and the US released a report that outlines the grim future that the human race and planet Earth faces. They say that humanity is doomed and that human survival is threatened by the ongoing climate disaster and the declining health of both people and the planet. Ignorance and inaction are making these problems worse. (2)
“The scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms – including humanity – is in fact so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts,” they wrote in their report. “Ours is not a call to surrender – we aim to provide leaders with a realistic ‘cold shower’ of the state of the planet that is essential for planning to avoid a ghastly future,” (2)
Heading Toward A Mass Extinction
Extinction, throughout history, is the way of the world. Most species eventually went extinct, with few leaving any descendants. This is what happened to the previous human species: Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo erectus all came and went, with just us, Homo sapiens, remaining. The truth is, humans aren’t very adaptable creatures. We, instead, used our large brains to invent things to adapt our surroundings to us. Unfortunately, this has been a major contributing factor to the acceleration of climate change. (1)
We do have a couple of things going for us. We are extremely widespread and have a massive population. Typically, widespread species with large populations fare far better during times of change and disasters than those with shorter ranges. For example, polar species, like the Polar Bear, are at a higher risk of extinction than those found in a variety of locations, such as brown bears. The human population is so great, that even if something wipes out 99% of us, millions would still survive to carry on the race. (1)
Read: The Planet Could Have Catastrophic Surprises in Store
Humanity Doomed: Mass Migrations, Pandemics, and Resource Conflicts
As the climate continues to change, certain places on Earth will become uninhabitable. Extreme weather conditions will force people to migrate, pushing more people even closer together. This bodes well for more global pandemics, issues with food supply, and conflict over resource ownership and distribution. (3)
“Humanity is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity and, with it, Earth’s ability to support complex life. But the mainstream is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of this loss, despite the steady erosion of the fabric of human civilization,” says lead author Professor Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University in Australia. (4)
What Is The Solution?
The researchers say that changes to global capitalism, education, and equality are the only ways to improve our chances. For this, countries and world leaders will need to work together – a feat that is hard to achieve. We desperately need to address the fact that there are currently one million species under threat of extinction. The more biodiversity we lose, the worse we will be. (3)
“Stopping biodiversity loss is nowhere close to the top of any country’s priorities, trailing far behind other concerns such as employment, healthcare, economic growth, or currency stability,” says Professor Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University. “Most economies operate on the basis that counteraction now is too costly to be politically palatable. Combined with disinformation campaigns to protect short-term profits it is doubtful that the scale of changes we need will be made in time” (4)
Human consumption and population growth are at the fore-front of the problem. Without these issues being addressed, the planet will continue to spin faster and faster towards our inevitable doom. (3)
Keep Reading: Bill Gates Believes We Need to Stop Eating Beef to Avert Climate Change Disaster
Sources
- “Will the human race become extinct? Almost certainly.” Independent. May 18, 2020.
- “Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future.” Frontiers In. Corey J. A. Bradshaw, et al. January 13, 2021.
- “Top scientists warn of ‘ghastly future of mass extinction’ and climate disruption.” The Guardian. Phoebe Weston. January 13, 2021.
- “Experts Say Humanity Faces a Grim and “Ghastly Future” – State of Planet Is Much Worse Than Most People Understand.” Sci Tech Daily. April 25, 2021.