Climate crisis down to human arrogance

THE climate and biodiversity crisis is a symptom/result of a completely unecological human society.

We are very intelligent and have devised all kinds of ways and means, products and systems, that solve particular problems or advance “progressive” ideas (eg exploring space with its resulting modern technology), increasing the number of professional experts in their individual fields of knowledge as we do so. This is the intelligent bit.

When these professional experts come up with a new discovery, they often want to put these findings into practice; this is usually done without knowing the real implications these introductions have on the future of the biosphere Earth (eg the pesticide DDT was hailed as a wonderful solution to crop pests and introduced quickly – well, we all know what disastrous effects that had).

So, we have introduced all kinds of inventions, discoveries, systems at breakneck speed, which will result ultimately in the destruction of the biosphere Earth (including us humans, of course).

Why is this? Because we humans are too shortsighted and do not see the “big picture”; we act as if we are able to act outside of natural, ecological boundaries, introducing linear systems in an ultimately ecological cyclical system. This is the purest definition of unsustainable behaviour. In short – we humans are idiots, as we are ever faster cutting at the branch on which we are sitting.

Now, what does this have to do with “waste not, want not”? Ultimately, the only truly sustainable solution is to align all our human activities within natural, ecological cycles. In these cycles there is no waste, nil, zero, zilch. Any waste from one species of living organisms will become food for other living organisms; the cycle of life and death.

We humans are the only species on this planet that produces waste that does not fit into such ecological cycles; just stop reading this for a minute and look around where you are sitting/standing now; what can you see? A computer/laptop/ smartphone, furniture, walls in your home, stationary, office hardware, etc. How much of what you see fits into ecological cycles? You might have some natural wood furniture and maybe you wear some truly natural clothes, but on the whole most of what is there is essentially waste, waste that cannot be dealt with by nature.

So, unless we introduce the social and economic indicator of waste (ie everything that cannot be thrown out into the garden/woods/fields/ rivers/oceans and decompose naturally) the biosphere Earth will end sooner rather than later.

We can continue as we are with a few tweaks here and there (eg “renewable” energy rather than “fossil fuel” energy) and keep dancing on the Titanic, or we stop being so intelligently arrogant and not declare the Titanic unsinkable. Enjoy the ride while you can. Markus Braun

Penparcau