2025: Humans, How much Time Do You Reckon We have? (1 Viewer)

[Huntn]

We are smart, damn we are smart, by our accomplishments the smartest the planet we named Earth has to offer. But in my opinion we are not so advanced, not from a species survival standpoint. In fact some people think we are well established on the way to destroying ourselves. Why are we not talking about the following?

Humanity has a 95% probability of being extinct in 7,800,000 years, according to J. Richard Gott's formulation of the controversial Doomsday argument, which argues that we have probably already lived through half the duration of human history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_extinction

Each day, the extra heat that is trapped near our planet is equivalent to 400,000 Hiroshima bombs. There are no known technologies that can be deployed at world scale to reverse the warming, and many climate scientists feel that the window for doing so is already closed, that we have passed the tipping point and the heat is on runaway no matter what we do.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/faci...als-plants-species_n_5d2ddc04e4b0a873f6420bd3

Yesterday I watched a show that touched me. Sure some will laugh, it is called the Queen’s Gambit, a fictional story with a basis in competitive chess from the 1960s about a girl who I would describe as not normal, ends up in an orphanage after her mother tries to kill them both and discovers chess.

Although I won’t insist that everyone love this, what a great story, that illustrates a spectrum of human cultural and emotional challenges, social cliques, differences between people, some who have basically zero social skills, but are geniuses while commenting that there can be a thin line between genius and madness. It also dealt with how people deal with failure, how they could personally fail, recognize their limitations, but find it in themselves to assist others still in the game so to speak (of competitive chess), to be champions.

Then this morning I woke up and during my drive to the gym was captivated by Led Zepplin’s All of my Love on the radio, and although I’ve known it, I was struck by the tremendous abilities of creativity and expression some humans possess. We can do some good things!

But as a group, how can we be so FORKED UP? Maybe we possess both genius and madness. Can we simultaneously be “so advanced” yet so screwed up?? Is it a matter of what intelligence we have is overruled by our ID, our emotions and prejudices, and really we are not quite as smart as we think we are, or maybe it’s not some of us as much as it is the dumb shirt masses around us? I’m going to resist posting examples as I think most of us have identified the political problem, at least in the US. And the US is not the only troubled spot in the world, but I digress.

I’ve often said that the problem is that individualism is great, but that we desperately need to be more like the ants and the bees or encapsulated by a simple phrase, we need much more of We>Me thinking and what we have today is an avalanche of Me (greed)> We. Capitalism is based on individual greed and grab as much as you can, yet some number of us tout that Capitalism is the best. I suppose if you are comfortable with your status, then Capitalism is good, but not all of those who are comfortable think that, at least not Wild West Captalism. Another discussion for a different post, can Capitalism serve the masses? Maybe if it's heavily regulated. It does not seem to be serving the masses today, although some minority are doing quite well under it.

Are we wired to be greedy or is it just a matter of faulty development?

This applies on a spectrum from smaller social groups, to society where we see well off (wealthy) continuing to grab more of the pie, while the economics of average citizens has been sliding since the 1960s. On a world wide scale, those countries with plenty, arguably are too tribal and are not as generous as they need to be when it involves the survival of our species, and even the world as we know it. Look at the Paris accords, our hearts are in the right place, but it's unlikely we'll ever have it in us to make the needed sacrifices until we see DOOM written on the wall and it's too frick'n late.

So what do you think, do we stand a chance?

https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-sapiens

To summarize:

• We have identified dire environmental issues, issues that could end us, could cause our population of 8 billion to crash and burn.
• We KNOW we are poisoning the planet.
• Yet 2023 and coal burning has returned to record levels (https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2023/09/04/global-coal-consumption-returns-to-record-levels/)
• Capitalists are busy disenfranchising their home markets to pocket great wealth. They have already disenfranchised tens of millions of citizens or more by exporting jobs for… their profit.
• Corporations are actively working to eliminate their employees. Look at the goals of AI and automation. It’s not to keep you employed.
• We kill each other as a matter of routine.
• And we are LOCKED into our economies, refusing to DO WHAT WE MUST DO to save ourselves.
• Team Humanity is a failed team.

 

[Dragon]

Interesting discussion which I look forward to participate in.

You're absolutely right that the escalating effects of climate change paint a dire picture. My instinct says five years. The five-year timeframe might seem extreme to some, but given the accelerating trends, it's a wake-up call we should all heed.

The continuous rise in ocean temperatures is a catastrophe in progress. Marine ecosystems are collapsing, with coral reefs—the foundation of ocean biodiversity—facing mass bleaching and die-offs. Warmer oceans also intensify hurricanes, disrupt fish populations, and contribute to rising sea levels. Microplastics are now found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and even our bloodstreams. This points to an insidious, long-term threat to human and animal health that we have only begun to understand. Combine this with the toxic runoff from industries, and it's clear we're poisoning the very systems we rely on.

We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at an alarming rate—often due to habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Biodiversity loss destabilizes ecosystems and reduces their ability to adapt to environmental changes, a direct threat to human survival.

Political Inaction and Denial - Climate denial by influential leaders and the prioritization of short-term economic gains over long-term survival exacerbate the crisis. The Paris Accords, while a step in the right direction, lack the enforcement mechanisms needed to compel meaningful action. One of the biggest threats are the "Me>We" mindset. It is a systemic issue. Wealthier nations hoard resources while poorer ones bear the brunt of climate impacts. This tribalism undermines global cooperation, which is essential for tackling a planetary crisis.

Climate science suggests we've crossed—or are dangerously close to crossing—several tipping points, such as the loss of Arctic ice, Amazon deforestation, and disruption of ocean currents. These changes could lock us into a trajectory of runaway warming, rendering vast parts of the Earth uninhabitable. Despite these bleak prospects, I do believe there's a sliver of hope if we act decisively now. It requires not just individual efforts but systemic overhauls—rethinking capitalism, prioritizing sustainability over growth, and fostering global solidarity. Movements advocating for regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and circular economies are beacons of possibility. But the question remains: do we have the collective will to embrace them before it's too late?

Your reflection raises a vital point: we possess both genius and madness. Our creativity and capacity for innovation are unparalleled, but they must be channeled toward survival, not destruction. Perhaps our greatest challenge is overcoming our shortsightedness and learning to think—and act—like a truly global species.

Do we stand a chance? Only if we recognize the urgency and act as though our survival depends on it—because it does.

 

[Huntn]

Interesting discussion which I look forward to participate in.

You're absolutely right that the escalating effects of climate change paint a dire picture. My instinct says five years. The five-year timeframe might seem extreme to some, but given the accelerating trends, it's a wake-up call we should all heed.

The continuous rise in ocean temperatures is a catastrophe in progress. Marine ecosystems are collapsing, with coral reefs—the foundation of ocean biodiversity—facing mass bleaching and die-offs. Warmer oceans also intensify hurricanes, disrupt fish populations, and contribute to rising sea levels. Microplastics are now found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and even our bloodstreams. This points to an insidious, long-term threat to human and animal health that we have only begun to understand. Combine this with the toxic runoff from industries, and it's clear we're poisoning the very systems we rely on.

We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at an alarming rate—often due to habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Biodiversity loss destabilizes ecosystems and reduces their ability to adapt to environmental changes, a direct threat to human survival.

Political Inaction and Denial - Climate denial by influential leaders and the prioritization of short-term economic gains over long-term survival exacerbate the crisis. The Paris Accords, while a step in the right direction, lack the enforcement mechanisms needed to compel meaningful action. One of the biggest threats are the "Me>We" mindset. It is a systemic issue. Wealthier nations hoard resources while poorer ones bear the brunt of climate impacts. This tribalism undermines global cooperation, which is essential for tackling a planetary crisis.

Climate science suggests we've crossed—or are dangerously close to crossing—several tipping points, such as the loss of Arctic ice, Amazon deforestation, and disruption of ocean currents. These changes could lock us into a trajectory of runaway warming, rendering vast parts of the Earth uninhabitable. Despite these bleak prospects, I do believe there's a sliver of hope if we act decisively now. It requires not just individual efforts but systemic overhauls—rethinking capitalism, prioritizing sustainability over growth, and fostering global solidarity. Movements advocating for regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and circular economies are beacons of possibility. But the question remains: do we have the collective will to embrace them before it's too late?

Your reflection raises a vital point: we possess both genius and madness. Our creativity and capacity for innovation are unparalleled, but they must be channeled toward survival, not destruction. Perhaps our greatest challenge is overcoming our shortsightedness and learning to think—and act—like a truly global species.

Do we stand a chance? Only if we recognize the urgency and act as though our survival depends on it—because it does.

Thanks for this post. The problem in a nutshell is our existence on this planet is the equivalent of our feet in the fire, but somehow we are not yet adequately feeling it. Facts, logic, and reason obviously don’t work. Global Warming, denied for decades, treated like being “woke” is treated by MAGA today, ridiculed, turned upside down into something evil. The sad thing about MAGA is that ignorance is a required, cherished quality. A major problem is that besides a few co-conspirators, most of them are rubes who actually believe their own self serving fantasies, just like The Head Liar. We might debate later, whether he’s a lunatic or a savy manipulator, maybe both and definietly self destructive.

The bottom line is that bad things must happen, like a 2x4 upside our collective heads, before our attention will be adequately acquired, and by then it might just be too late.

For those reading this, make no mistake, 8B of us is just too many to manage. Like bacteria, these numbers likely spells our collective doom, propelled by our greed, our inability to come to terms with this reality, this dire threat as engendered and accelerated by Capitalists, Corporatists, propelled by billionaires, oligarchs, authoritarians, and allowed by The Sheep* is an obvious threat to our existence, our future, but do you hear the sirens blaring? No, the lack of displayed worry at high levels is just a scam to keep the sheep from stampeding, “we’d rather you worry about the price of eggs than catching on fire” while the extremely wealthy scoop as much gold as they can before it all falls apart.

*The Sheep aren’t known for their leadership qualities, hence the label.