Are Humans A Plague On The Earth?

Having abandoned his lifelong quest to win friends and influence people, 86-year-old David Attenborough told the The Independent (UK) that humans are a plague on the Earth.

TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough has warned that human beings have become a “plague on the Earth”.

The 86-year-old broadcaster said the negative effects of climate change and population growth would be seen in the next 50 years.

He told the Radio Times: "It's coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so.

"It's not just climate change. It's sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde.

"Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now.

"We keep putting on programmes about famine in Ethiopia — that's what's happening. Too many people there. They can't support themselves — and it's not an inhuman thing to say. It's the case.

"Until humanity manages to sort itself out and get a co-ordinated view about the planet, it's going to get worse and worse."

Naturally, Attenborough's judgment will generally be seen as "subjective" and very harsh, not to mention unpopular and anger-provoking.

But are we humans a plague on the Earth?

Well, sure we are! You betcha! And if you are familiar with the history of the Earth, with both the geological and paleontological records, you will know that no plague like this one has ever occurred before in those 4.56 billion years.

And when we say plague—think of locusts—we mean that humans have overrun and ravaged the Earth, not only in sheer numbers, but also in the rampant consumption of those among us who are relatively well off. That deplorable trend continues, as Attenborough notes.

But is this overrunning and ravaging a natural phenomenon? Of course it is. (Locusts, again.) Humans are extraordinary animals, but animals nonetheless. In fact, they are the only animals we know of in Earth's history or elsewhere in the Universe who are self-aware enough to reach the remarkable conclusion that their collective actions constitute a plague on their home planet.

And as if to reinforce the inconvenient truth that we humans are an entirely natural (and random) product of evolution, only a very few humans are sufficiently self-aware to conclude that Homo sapiens is a plague on the Earth! And now, David Attenborough, at the ripe old age of 86, is among those extraordinary members of our species.

The humans who are not self-aware enough to come to this conclusion, which is obvious to those who have the wherewithal (consciousness) to reach it, are merely self-absorbed and unreflective. In short, they are doing what they are doing, as animals typically do. And what they are doing, when their actions are taken altogether, when these actions are looked upon collectively, is overrunning and ravaging the Earth.

You might look at my recent post The Limits Of Free Will In Human Action if you have not read it.

The question of whether the actions of Homo sapiens constitute "natural" (instinctual) behaviors is an important one, for humans have forgotten that they are part of the natural world which spawned them, and upon which they still depend, despite their much-celebrated technological cleverness in changing the natural environment to suit their own needs. Some self-aware humans have dubbed this new epoch the Anthropocene (like the Holocene, the Pleistocene, and so on).

And here is what we know about the Anthropocene, as Attenborough implies—when viewed in the context of geological time, it will be very, very brief.

Bonus Video — from Steve Cutts

 

Comments

[John D]

I read somewhere that companies are now looking at fracking as a way to mine uranium. Geez, we don't even bother with the charade of acting concerned for the environment anymore. Just pillage away for the almighty 'growth'. Locusts indeed.

[Oliver]

Attenborough's noisy detractors, by and large the younger set of condescending self-promoting 'commentators', are an amusing sideshow in their own right. They have no clue at all about anything, least of all that their lack of self awareness is specific proof of the Hominid plague fouling up ex gloria Planet Earth.

http://bit.ly/VRQUU6

http://bit.ly/UgTCm2

(Apparently, us humans have never been so successful or healthy!)

[Ben]

I agree with Attenborough, however, if I said that around anyone of my friends or family I would be socially fucked ... like totally fucking isolated ...

[Oliver]

Ben - Don't worry, I imagine most of us DOTE visitors are already outcasts in our own lunchtimes. You'll always have your comrades-in-arms right here (until the grid goes poof).

[Ben]

Paul Craig Roberts wrote an interesting article titled "Nature’s Capital is the Limiting Resource", published on CounterPunch earlier this week. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression here, I don't read CounterPunch regularly, nor do I particularly like or respect Roberts. In fact I despise him, for many reasons which I will not speak about here. However, he wrote what I think is an interesting article, and I want to share it with you guys: http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/01/25/natures-capital-is-the-limiting-resource/

[Rowan]

Had a conversation with my boss the other day. Talking about resource limitations, climate change and the like. She asked what could be done. I said lots of people needed to die (as in a few billion or so). She wanted to know what else could be done. I said "nothing else will cut it". That killed the conversation. Was I too harsh?

[chris in chicago]

If you want to be hated real fast, tell people they shouldnt have any kids.

Better yet try telling them bringing kids into the world they are going to have to live in in the future is child abuse.

Ive been a social outcast my whole life.

[Brian]

We came. We saw. We expanded (and continue to expand) to consume all available energy.

Same ol', same ol'. Nothing to see here folks. Move along. Just another life form.... move along.

Irrelevant question of the day... Will there be anybody left to give our plague a nifty name, like "The Black Death"? Perhaps we should name it ahead of time, just for the record. How about "The Sapiens Scourge" or "The Hominid Hydra" or "The Anrthopocene Annihilation?

[Rob N. Banks]

Humanity is a monster existing within the nightmare of life. The serpent devours its tail, while its wisest child devours the world. No cycles can take place without the plane. The parasite is quicker than the cosmos. Regardless of herald or champion, death shall reign absolute. May all beings find peace in the nothingness from which they came.

[Mike Roberts]

How does one come to terms with being one of a plague species and being one of the few who realise that? That's what I struggle with, these days.

[Locust # 5,890,865,845]

In case you didn't see it, a BBC doco from last May http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyNekAJ6rA8

[Clyde]

"How does one come to terms with being one of a plague species and being one of the few who realise that? That's what I struggle with, these days."

I used to struggle with this too, Mike. I even became a vegetarian, 'downsized' my lifestyle, work part-time, grew what little food I could and all that.
The problem is that it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference. Except to my peace of mind, that is.

I won't have any kids, therefore, I've done what little I can.
So, I have decided to start eating fish again, because they are so damn tasty and I'm going to get my share before it's too late. I won't go as far as eating meat again because of issues with farming practices and animal welfare. I won't work full-time again as I want to enjoy my time walking, drinking, reading, woodworking and so on.
And I enjoy eating fresh food from my garden, so I'll still continue with that too.

What I'm trying, badly, to say is that I've come to terms with things and am trying to enjoy the rest of my life as best I can, while I can, whilst sticking to my particular set of principles.

That's all we can do I'm afraid. Que sera sera.

[Tom Durkins]

Nicely stated Clyde.

[Available Light]

I didn't read the Independent article. I made the mistake of reading a similar article on The Daily Mail, one of those "news" sources that delights in feeding raw meat to its ever-hungry audience to garner page impressions and thus money. Compounding my folly, I went to the comments section. The very first comment I read suggested Attenborough's critique was an exercise in "self-loathing." I sighed wearily and closed the page.