There is no evidence to say that all species go extinct. I think it is a natural event (otherwise it would not be occuring). We are unlikely to destroy life on Earth, however, we may very well destroy ourselves. I am roundly against destroying ourselves, I like life and I want to continue enjoying it for as long as I can. Medical science has proven that our cells are programmed to switch off after a certain point, so I believe that we can deprogram these cells and I could ostensibly live forever. However, to live forever I would have to accept certain things, like the inevitable extinction of species, the death of untold numbers of friends and relatives, survive wars, and endure any hardship. I feel that I am prepared to do this, as I have not yet experienced anything that would make me feel otherwise.
However, regardless of how you feel about my chances of achieving immortality, I do think that the ecological damage we have wrought on the world is going to take it’s toll within my lifetime, in fact I think it will happen within my youth. The sky WILL fall, and as our society is global, and no longer specific to a region, it will affect all of humanity, instead of just our ‘known’ world like the Black Plague for instance. Sure they knew about realms outside of their own, just as we have landed on the moon, but they were not terribly affected in a daily way by what someone did on the other side of the planet, the way I am directly impacted by the war in Iraq.
Therefore I believe that those unable to see the inevitable catastrophe (and most of the people who are capable of seeing it) will be wiped out by the coming problems. Famines and Pestilences cause the spread of war, anyone that pays attention to African politics can see this without even looking for a historical example. There are enough issues with the environment that are causing damage NOW, that we don’t need to look too far in the future to see a catastrophic scenario. America the largest empire ever built with the largest most technologically advanced military ever assembled is rolling across the most religiously fanatic land in the entire world, while supporting the second deadliest military in the world. Biblical prophecy is going to come to pass and it’s only the logical extension of the greed that we’ve put forth, and not some big mystical idea that some mushroom cap eating saint needs to write about at this point.
Everyone I talk to in America seems pretty unwilling to give up their capitalist lifestyle, and I don’t see people willing to say “Yes I will accept any economic consequences whatsoever just bring ALL OF OUR TROOPS EVERYWHERE home.”, I don’t see that happening, so I see World War III around the bend as environmental disaster after environmental disaster occurs, with the spread of AIDS going unchecked in the third world.
The decision to me is clear, it’s find those that you trust, and make a tight knit society of people, and don’t associate with ANYONE that would put ANY amount of money over their relationship with you, because things are going to break down as America begins to lose everything in a time where Productivity is outpacing job growth, the money is increasingly being funneled into the pockets of those that already have most of it. When the dollar falls, and I believe that it will, sooner rather than later, the global impact is going to be like a house of cards, I don’t think speculating in Euros will help you unless your plan is to bail on your euros the moment the dollar collapses capitalizing on it’s sudden increase in value by spending it in the American economy.
So I don’t believe everyone is going to die, but I believe that most people will. People HAVE said the sky is falling for ages, it HAS fallen for ages depending upon your view of scale, and this time we have a global economy, nuclear weapons, and worldwide ecological damage done by industrialization. You may not agree, but I think it’s a foregone conclusion at this point, and the only reason I think that is because when I propose the pragmatic tribalism that has me living WAY BEYOND my ability to bring dollars into my pocket is too idealistic because people are greedy. Well then, let them choke on their dollars when there is nothing else to eat. We’ve been sowing for a long time, I think it’s time to reap the harvest.
Erek