Extinction, can we turn it around?

key points of conversation in this video...

humans speed up extinction - this video hints at the fact that we might be the 6th great extinction to hit this earth considering extinction is occurring 100x greater than it should...

knowledge is key - We're learning about our impact on the planet and also learning how we can save it from extinction, but can we? I think we can, but then you still see a lot of human behavior impacting even the most remote and protected parts of our world... In order for the planet to recover we must stop all negative impact activity on our planet... Fossil fuels, poaching, clearing of the land etc..

it's not over yet - Ganggajan national park still unspoiled, holds a very healthy population of carnivores, plants and other animals and is protected naturally by mountain ranges which helps to preserve it's natural state... Is this the only place on earth so pristine? It appears so, Hawaii once used to be this way, till humans migrated to the island...

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I wish I believed otherwise, but, I doubt it.

The people of this planet are not prepared to make the changes necessary to avert this environmental meltdown. By the time we lose say, 50% of the species on our planet, people will start to wake up, however, it will be too late by then. Essentially, at this point, there is a very good chance that the food chain will be broken in too many places. Sure, life will go on. This planet and some of its most hearty and adaptable species will survive. But, it is all most inevitable, future generations will no longer be able to witness the level of biodiversity observable on this planet today. Instead, they will only be able to read about it in books or watch movies about it. They will wonder how we let this happen, how did we let our greed get the better of us? And what will upset them the most is the fact that we today, have the technology to prevent this from happening, yet in the end, we will have been too slow to act.

By the way, I pray I am wrong.

I often see the double think and hippocracey present in some people. On the one hand some will tout how religious they are while at the same time support a candidate who thinks we should "drill baby drill" and thinks that man made global warming is still up for debate. Don't they realize that they are going down a path that leads to the ultimate destruction of the world God has created for them???

Here is another good video that talks about threats to our planet and to our survival, some not so likely others more immediate threats... Very interesting...

Google Video Link

Extinctions happen on Earth with or without the presence of humans. Can we stop all further extinctions? Probably. Should we? I don't think anyone can make that decision.

It's the so-called "tragedy of the commons." That is to say, in order to act in a way that allows for your personal survival, you are forced to act in a way that is bad for life as a whole. It's the way our system is set up (and the way most conceivable systems would play out).

There are things we can do to help the situation but frankly speaking I'm not hopeful. I think life will go on, and humanity will go on, but the population and quality of life for both will be greately reduced.

One thing we might be able to pull off is to somehow change people's consciousness so that their self-worth is less dependent on piling up material goods. Think of why people acquire so much "stuff" like big cars and big houses and so on: At the root, its not because they really care about these things but because they want to be liked and respected, and they think "seeming rich" is the way to get respect. If we could somehow change that mentality so people could feel a sense of dignity and self-respect without piling up lots of "bling," we might have a fighting chance at turning things around. Just a thought.

The 11th hour, a good film that does a great job at showing us how we've hurt the environment and how we are working to change it... I told you we could do it! This is what I like to see, this is a start among the few other films that exist on this level...

Lets just do it before it's too late...

Google Video Link