Humanity tends to see itself as distinct from nature. We divide the world conceptually into two; the human world and the natural world. Whilst nature has enabled and nurtured human civilisation for about eight thousand years, our modern tendency to see ourselves as separate from it is starting to have sever consequences.The natural world is a complex system of complex sub-systems. The carbon cycle, the water cycle, interactive dependencies between different species and ecosystems, soil microbiota, ocean currents and air currents are examples of sub-systems that collectively act to form the global biome. And humanity is abusing and damaging them.Humans are not separate from the biome. We're an integral part of it, contiguous with it. Dependent upon it as much as any species. If the biome itself collapses, our civilisation does too.Our erroneous ways are manifold. Atmospheric carbon emissions (breaking the carbon cycle), excess water extraction from ancient aquifers (breaking the water cycle), global plastic pollution, soil destruction, the elimination of insects, the destruction of tropical and boreal forests , and the driving of species to extinction. Carbon emissions alone are causing ocean acidification, warming ocean temperatures (with consequent declining oxygen content), rising sea levels, changing ocean currents (like the Gulf Stream), changing land based temperatures, wildfires, droughts, floods etc etc.The word 'Doomer' has emerged as a characterisation of a person who is aware of all the above and has concluded that it's too late to stop our decline.I feel strongly about these issues but haven't quite reached the status of Doomer yet. There is time to rescue things but only if people and politicians wake up to what's happening and we all, collectively as human civilisation, change the way we operate in some pretty fundamental ways (eg slash consumption).This picture was intended to represent a Doomer. But it could also simply show someone with greater than typical sensitivity to the beauty and fragility of nature, and our relationship with her.
Related
Related
Related
Related