The human species has reached such a size—and with
the population of Africa expected in 2017 to double by 2050 from an incredulous
and oblivious fertility rate (i.e., as if there were no tomorrow) in spite of life-threatening
impacts on that continent already from global warming—that profound changes to
the planet can from now on hardly be avoided unless or until nature’s swift hand acts
through pestilence, famine, or over-crowding conflict. Making matters worse, we
are flying without having bothered to detail a navigation flight-plan, for even
homo sapiens’ cognitive wiring has
been outstripped by not only our inherent selfishness and preference for
instant gratification, but also our sheer presumptuousness. In hindsight, we
can say we have acted rashly in having polluted so in the twentieth century—the
benefit of hindsight being shown in our shortcomings even in being able to keep
tabs on the extent of the damage.
The full essay is at "Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere."
