Are We Going to Inflict Extinction on Our Own Species?

Science has taught us that, so far, there have been five mass extinctions on Planet Earth. A mass extinction is defined by Dictionary.com as “the extinction of a large number of species within a relatively short period of geological time, thought to be due to factors such as a catastrophic global event or widespread environmental change that occurs too rapidly for most species to adapt.” Recently, humans have been asking the question of all questions… are we next? An IPCC report stated that we have 12 years to make meaningful progress in reversing damage of CO2 emissions in order to have a chance at avoiding 1.5 degrees of warming, as many believe this to be a sort of threshold for stopping the most significantly detrimental aspects of climate change.

Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times Bestseller, The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert is an incredible piece of literature that describes the details of our current condition and what the future could or could not mean.

Are the environmental consequences of our careless actions going to cause the sixth mass extinction and does our species and life on Earth await a terrible fate? Some may say no, arguing for the copocornia ideology, that which states that humans will always figure out a way to save themselves. Others may reject the science of Climate Change all-together. Optimists are likely to say that we will surely change our behavior within the little timewe have to make drastic change, saving our skin just in time. Me, however? What do I say? Well, I don’t think the odds are looking too promising. It’s fairly likely that technology can’t save us from this one. With less than 4,563 days to generate any sort of hope, it might as well already be a done deal.

Don’t get me wrong- I am in no way a pessimist, and I doubt any of my peers would categorize me as such. But I am a rational person, and an honest one at that. Of course, I would rather this not be our reality. I would rather we pull ourselves together, get smart, unify, and fix this problem which will eventually lead to the extinction of our own species and countless others on Earth. But I don’t see that happening. And it is quite nearly too late. So no, I am not going to write just about the happy, positive, hope of it all; I am first and foremost going to write about the truth, no matter how depressing it may be. Sometimes, sadness can be productive.

In the 18 years of my life, I have made some notable observations about my species, specifically of my fellow humans living in Westernized society. When mulling over this idea of climate change, it has come to my realization that I can make direct connections between traits of human beings living in the westernized world and the issue at hand. As a society on the whole, here are three important things I’ve noticed about us:

1.) We live in the now.

And I don’t mean in the beautiful-meditation-experiencing-the-incredible -nature-of-existence-by-being-mindful-kinda way. I mean that we don’t like to deal with things until they are affecting us in the present moment. And by us, I really mean us--you and me, right now. We wouldn’t have to be worrying about causing the sixth mass extinction if the people who started this process immediately felt the consequences that their future ancestors will. You know, it’s like hearing someone talk about how the Sun is gonna explode in 7.5 billion years, taking the Earth down with it. Yeah I guess that sucks, but who cares, cause we won’t be there, right?

2.) We are creatures of habit.

As a general rule, we really don’t like change, and we can be really bad at it, even when it’s necessary. And especially when this thing called money is involved. We’re pretty stubborn, and let’s be honest, change makes us uncomfortable. We don’t like changing our behavior unless it’s in our best interest, unless it was our idea. Switching to solar power? Stop buying plastic straws and bottles? Take shorter showers? Stop smoking cigarettes? Why on Earth would I do any of those things when that’s how I was raised, when that’s what I’m used to? You can’t tell me what to do.

3.) We are desensitized.

For those of us who have grown up in the generation of environmental degradation, climate change has become normalized. We are desensitized to what our species is doing to its own home. When you’ve been raised in a world where, since the beginning of your memory, you can remember being told that the Earth is in trouble, it becomes less of a big deal. You don’t know any different, and you see so little change, so you just begin to accept it as a normal part of living on Earth. You weren’t alive during a time when the environment wasn’t in danger, so, without that initial shift and the panic that follows it, you are inclined to care less. And furthermore, knowing the fate of the planet all along, you don’t see anything wrong in your lifestyle, because you’ve never needed to change it, despite the reality of the situation. You think this is how it has always been in my life, and this is how I have always lived, so what could be wrong with that? If the planet has been in trouble this whole time, and I haven’t experienced it, why would I change now?
So where does that leave us? I promise I did not go through all the trouble to contextualize these ideas just to bum you out, as they serve a purpose beyond that. They are justification for why I think there’s little hope for stopping the sixth extinction, but more importantly, they are behaviors in our world that need change. Maybe if we can locate these problems and understand what causes them, we can do something about them. But make no mistake, there is value in becoming saddened about our current condition. I mean, you should be upset, shouldn’t you? We all should be. You can educate people all you want, and education remains an extremely remarkable and valuable tool, but you cannot makepeople care. I’ve known folks who have watched documentaries about the horrors of plastic water bottle companies, only to show up the next day with a Dasani in their hand.

I think that’s it. It’s this issue of caring that’s really holding us back. Maybe if we could find a way to make people care more, to understand the dire future that awaits their ancestors, to feel the suffering of the Earth as their own, then maybe we could have more hope. So how do we do that? How do we influence people to care and actively react to this sadness? I think if we can figure out this question, we can change on a significant enough scale to end this madness. If we work together, if we can make the impossible possible, then maybe it wouldn’t have to be like this. You see, I want so badly to change my mind. But I need your help. And if you don’t think your individual decisions in this world carry any weight, you’re wrong. And I need you to believe that. I need you to care. On behalf of your children’s children’s children, on behalf of the plants and birds and all of the spectacular life on Earth, on behalf of the human species itself, I beg of you to help change my mind. If you don’t have the motivation to care, find it. Inspire others to care. Because this problem is not going to fix itself. What will you do in the next 4,563 days?

By Emmaline Elsbree