Alright with all these vast enviromental changes going on so quickly and so unnaturally we have to think how long do we have before we humans pollute mother earth to the point that we are forced to evacuate and colonize mars or space. Do you think we will ever come to this?

I think we can say couple of long living generations, max 300 years, if the terrorists don't wipe us all out first.

Depends on political obsessions... with current ones far before technology required for your suggestion is available.

i dont think the world will end like that and fair enough terrorists and all that but think about it this way ,but the higher end goverments of the world know whats going on and have things in place think obut this they have the ability to make cars or any vehicle run on water basicaly but we still use oil and whys that well firstly u can still us oil right now and when it all runs out all these lower undeveloped countries will have nothing and no means to convert and basicaly they will fall and crumble we wont unless they bring us into war which there doin which is terroism and if anything will destroy earth i think it is terrorism ppl underestimate mother nature why u think we keep having all this rather crazy weather patterns goin on which i beleive is earth cleaning itself, which also leads me to beleive that all out nuclear war is what i worry about and terroists ,so if add they 2 key things baring in mind iran as well uve got some crazy # gettin stirred

Originally posted by Rugoolian
...is what i worry about and terroists ,so if add they 2 key things baring in mind iran as well uve got some crazy # gettin stirred

Wlel...
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are...

But you cloud slitl at laset use pnitos, and ucarpepse in fsrit lretets.


BTW, Good work, keep it going... Dubya&Co are sure happy to you.

Originally posted by surfup
I think we can say couple of long living generations, max 300 years, if the terrorists don't wipe us all out first.

300 years thats far to long, I say around 150. Correct me if im wrong but arnt terrorist using weapons to damage the enviroment? Or will be?

Originally posted by RATT
Correct me if im wrong but arnt terrorist using weapons to damage the enviroment? Or will be?

Are you asking if the terrorists are using weapons to damage the environment?

Or are you clearing up that terrorist are using weapons to damage the environment?

Originally posted by surfup
I think we can say couple of long living generations, max 300 years, if the terrorists don't wipe us all out first.

In the above quote I meant that if the terrorists don't wipe us all with their use of mass destruction and all the killings, we can possibly live on the Earth for 300 more years, not that terrorists are trying to destroy the environment.

With the direction man is going now by destroying the earth more and more and ignoring the long term effect we are in for a shorter than longer future. I agree with the 150-200 year idea. Also the way Global Warming is OBVIOUS (6-7 hurricanes) and our government say "No No, its not Global Warming its this its that. Seriously, we are not idiots. Just tell us the truth. We are jacking up the Earth.

I think the real question is when will humans destroy themselves by polluting the Earth. Even if we destroy the Earth's ecosystem and in turn ourselves to some degree, the Earth will simply reconstitute itself in some way and become a new haven for life in the distant future.

Whichever life forms are able to avoid destruction and evolve will end up being the dominant species in the future. We may not survive into the future, but the planet will in some form I'm sure.

The Earth doesn't notice we're here.

There's almost nothing we could do to 'destroy the Earth' except for deliberate destruction with technology we are only dreaming about now such as altering gravity or releasing self-replicating, autonomous, environmentally-powered nannites that consume all carbon out of any molecule to replicate themselves.

Look at the areas most polluted by radiation on the Earth:

Chernobyl
Bikini Atoll
Oak Ridge

All three spots are blocked off with little or no human intruders. Oak Ridge and Bikini Atoll for 50 years. Chernobyl for almost 20.

The ecology in all three spots absorbs the radiation. But without intereference of men fishing and hunting the animal and plant populations and diversity explode dramatically.

If humans lived there and ate the animals and plants they would be sick and unable to reproduce. However, all the other wildlife prospers.

talbansuu - Its rare but we agree completly. Get this straight HUMANS CAN NOT DESTROY THE EARTH as for makng it uninhabitable for our species we can't do that either, all we can do is change the environment enough to boost natural evolutionary processes.

But the fact that we're not going to 'destroy the Earth' doesn't mean it's not easy for us to make the place an unpalatable place for humans to live, and that we shouldn't try and keep clean air, clean skies, and preserve wildlife. Nature can and will bite back harder than we can.

I don't think we can even make it unpalatable to live in to be honest. bout the only thing we can do is pollute local water supplies, as for the air the earth itself pollutes the ar more than we do. As for wildlife well if one species goes extict another will take its place.

Originally posted by mwm1331
I don't think we can even make it unpalatable to live in to be honest. bout the only thing we can do is pollute local water supplies, as for the air the earth itself pollutes the ar more than we do. As for wildlife well if one species goes extict another will take its place.

Um, unpalatable, as in, trash and litter all over the place, poisoned soil, water and air, etc.

The Earth may pollute the air more than we do but what I'm talking about is living in a town that smells like garbage from industrial chemicals and living in cities where the air is barely considered breathable.

Ok go ahead and kill all the wildlife you see. Pretty soon we can all enjoy the zoo that holds only rats, cockroaches, cows and chicken.

Diversity of wildlife is a good thing. Yes the Earth can replace it but over an immense amount of time.

Originally posted by mwm1331
talbansuu - Its rare but we agree completly. Get this straight HUMANS CAN NOT DESTROY THE EARTH as for makng it uninhabitable for our species we can't do that either, all we can do is change the environment enough to boost natural evolutionary processes.

Mankind doesn't have power to destroy this planet or life in it, mankind has only power to destroy or save itself.

And mankind has well enough power to cause destruction of our current civilisation.

The Earth has it's natural cycles. Mass extinctions are normal. There have been global warmings and coolings uncountable times before.
But I don't deny that mankind can make earth unsuitable for it's needs, but the Earth adapts. Ie extra CO2 makes plants grow faster.
In my opinion you can't trust media and populistic associations in case of environment. They spread a lot of misinformation (like rainforests as "green lungs", cars as the main polluters, biomass as clean energy, all of these are false despite being believed in).

EDIT: I kept only climate changes in mind. Pollution is still bad, but the media seems to draw attention only to climate changes, the problems that can be less likely solved. If the climate is normal, but earth is completely polluted, then there isn't much use for the climate.

[edit on 22/9/04 by tontsum]

Originally posted by tontsum
The Earth has it's natural cycles. Mass extinctions are normal. There have been global warmings and coolings uncountable times before.
But I don't deny that mankind can make earth unsuitable for it's needs, but the Earth adapts. Ie extra CO2 makes plants grow faster.
In my opinion you can't trust media and populistic associations in case of environment. They spread a lot of misinformation (like rainforests as "green lungs", cars as the main polluters, biomass as clean energy, all of these are false despite being believed in).

Environmental matters of course are used for political purposes.

However, seeing the need to keep the air, water, and soil clean of toxins is a reality that you live and breath in that doesn't need computer models or experts to debate about. The most unimaginative, uneducated person can clearly see that it's better to have rivers you can swim in, drink from, and fish from, than chemical-laden cesspools. The dumbest person on the planet can smell the difference between fresh air and smog. The most ignorant peasant knows its better that his children play in clean fields. No one can debate the importance of conserving wildlife not only for environmental diversity, but also for hunting and resources and heritage.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Keep the Earth clean.

hmm hard to say if we will screw the earth in the end but we are walking down that path.

oh RATT is your name from those 80s cock-rock superstars RATT? I love the cheesy videoclip to "round 'n' round"

thx,
drfunk

Ratt, I guess you meant how long would it take before humans have to abandon Earth due to pollution and suchlike, IMHO it looks like 150+ years but new technology is of course bringing up new ways of messing up the earth for example, nanotechnology and possible out of control self-relicating nano-machines spreading across every nook and cranny of the planet; available soon... maybe 15 years.

I have to disagree with those who say humans can not destroy Earth.... a few dozen high-yield atomic blasts could create a nuclear winter which would block any sunlight for many years, producing devastating loss of animal, insect and plantlife.... probably only a few insects and basic plantlife such as lichen would be left after that. If that doesn't count as 'destroyed' then I don't know what does! Sure there would be something left (the ants and Lichen) and maybe God and nature can start again but for millions of years there would be nothing vaguely intelligent so in my book destroyed is the word which best describes it. Ok this is an extreme example, but so is the phrase 'humans cannot destroy earth'.

Originally posted by RATT
Alright with all these vast enviromental changes going on so quickly and so unnaturally we have to think how long do we have before we humans pollute mother earth to the point that we are forced to evacuate and colonize mars or space. Do you think we will ever come to this?

I find this a very odd question. First, if we have the technology to make a planet like mars habitable, then why wouldn't we just be able to fix this one?

Second, if there are any higher life forms out there in the universe, it would seem to me that someone is gonna step in and put a stop to a race that has the gall to irresponsibly destroy their home planet and then just attempt to move on and spread their destruction to another. Like we actually think we have the right?

Is the human race that full of itself? (No one really has to answer that question, we all know the answer.)