Ecological Apocalypse Now

Rewilding, Population Controls, Local Food, Forever Peace, and Emission Cuts – or Die

Witness inequitable overpopulation’s thunderous crescendo before global ecological collapse destroys everything, because many could not fathom how much is enough, as too many others have nothing

"You smell that? Do you smell that?... Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning." – Apocalypse Now

"Humanity's and nature's future, if any, are being determined now." – Dr. Glen Barry

Earth Meanders Essays by Dr. Glen Barry

Ecological Apocalypse Now

I have a story to tell you. It regards the mayhem you see all around you. The exponential growth tearing apart being, sending humanity well beyond Earth’s carrying capacity, and threatening perma-war, abject poverty, and environmental collapse if we don’t act immediately…

We will get to the solutions, but first understand the magnitude of intertwined crises as biosphere collapse looms.

Earth is massive yet finite. For eons humans have intensively cultivated natural ecosystems, and once overexploited, moved on to destroy the next forest, grassland, and aquatic ecosystem. At low population densities, this allowed diminished areas time to recover.

In an ecological blink of an eye humanity’s population has exploded. In just over a century, human numbers have surged nearly ten-fold from one to eight billion. It’s so damn simple – the actual and perceived material needs of these apex predators in sum are totally and completely overwhelming nature.

The global life support system that humans and all life depend upon for our habitat is dying.

It is obscene that billions of human beings live meagerly upon a few dollars a day, while a small group of billionaires live lavishly, having hoarded half of Earth’s wealth. We now witness the grinding violence of poverty as billions eke out a living unable to meet basic needs for their children. As a sizable minority opulently overconsumes.

The madness of GDP growth as the measure of human well-being is pernicious; nonsensically equating economic growth, often at the expense of liquidating natural systems, with the well-being of billions of human beings, kindred life forms, and their shared habitat and atmosphere.

Grotesque inequity, with everyone wanting more and little sharing, precludes ever achieving global ecological sustainability.

Living as if there are no biogeophysical limits upon personal consumption and procreation is shredding natural ecosystems and the climate. The human family faces an era (perhaps our last) of Ecological Apocalypse Now.

A given piece of land can only be so productive before overuse leads to collapse and becoming barren. There are limits on the water that can be withdrawn from aquifers and rivers, and then they run dry. The atmosphere can only bear a certain amount of waste, before run-away climate heating occurs.

A couple decades ago it was said that Earth could support all of humanity at the material wealth of the average European. Sadly, those days are long gone, and reasonable levels of equity required to sustain an operable biosphere are going to require the wealthy to share. And all of us to have fewer children, as we seek less impact from our consumption.

Evidence of the population bomb going off are everywhere. People of different cultures packed more closely together make forever wars. Overt racism and even slavery are on the rise once again. Anti-bacterial resistance and epidemics result from many people living close together, including in proximity with livestock.

Look at the mangled landscape surrounding you, with quivering fragments of nature flickering out. Witness the mass migration of climate and ecosystem loss refugees. Hear the cries of terrorized wildlife, feel viscerally the loss of plants upon which all life depends, immerse yourself in the heat of a climate run amuck.

The human enterprise is drunkenly careening past Earth’s carrying capacity, living as if our shared natural habitat has no value. And like we have no duties to nature, if we are to survive.

When you push nature too hard, she pushes back. Until nature becomes overwhelmed and dies. We need to face the truth regarding our personal role in ecocide. Or together we face the end of being.

Ecological Solutions Now

Portends of the end of the world are all around you. Humanity's and nature's future, if any, are being determined now. 

Sustainability means redefining progress. As an immediate triage we must stop destroying natural vegetation. And quickly transition away from all types of burning including but not limited to fossil fuels.

The underlying lack of knowledge – and widespread ignorance, superstition and conspiracies – are all so tragic because it does not have to end this way. People want to feel special, successful and clever, I get it. Yet there is nothing appealing in a carefree, selfish lifestyle that pushes your species, planet, and all life beyond the carrying capacity.

As the world descends into a dystopian nightmare, foremost we are called upon to hold onto our humanity. While together we embark upon an unprecedented program of emissions cuts, rewilding of natural ecosystems, demobilizing militarily and making forever peace, re-localizing sustainable food systems, and limiting both our reproduction and personal consumption.

It remains possible to save nature and thus ourselves and our children. But it requires a rapid emergence of a regenerative worldview. Key is a commitment to degrowth, which requires shrinking extractive and industrial activities; to focus upon a restoration of natural ecosystems, righteous livelihoods, a commitment to reasonable levels of equity, and having fewer children.

So much could be done now to control population. Eliminate child tax breaks. Free condoms. Preferential access to higher education for small families. A basic income to guarantee essential needs are met for all. And first and foremost, educate all women and girls equally to men and boys.

Rewilding refers to actions to regenerate natural ecosystems as the surrounding context for meeting the needs of human society, kindred species, and our shared ecosystems right up to the biosphere. It involves both nurturing nature's natural process of succession and renewal, as well as augmenting regrowth with ecological restoration and permaculture plantings. Think of permaculture as forest gardens where human needs are met within perennial plantings that also provide ecosystem services.

Natural ecosystem processes, though weakened, still have an innate ability to repair themselves. Strict land controls will remove human pressures and allow fragmented ecosystems to recover, expand, and reconnect. Humanity can augment this natural recovery with carefully targeted restoration plantings. Massive greenhouses full of native plant genotypes, and a large workforce of gardeners, will supplant natural vegetation’s regeneration. Such restoration ecology reestablishes dominant native natural plants, that provide the natural structure and dynamics for nature to do the rest. Maximal benefits are achieved by targeting sites for planting that increase ecosystem connectivity and reduce fragmentation.

Native ecosystem restoration will be interspersed within a matrix of permacultural plantings to provide food, fiber, and a healthy environment. Increasingly communities will be required to live within their bioregion’s limits; growing, processing, and sharing their own food. Local, organic, non-industrial, and non-meat food sources need to be the focus.

Sources of drinking water must be zealously protected and restored. And we have all the tools we need in renewable energy, efficiency, and simplified lifestyles to end greenhouse gas emissions. Avoiding abrupt climate change requires a whole-systems ecological approach that includes both technology and reinvigorated nature.

Other key pillars of global ecological sustainability include an universally educated citizenry, demobilizing standing armies, and a commitment to racial justice and restitution. Imagine what is possible as the human family commits to Forever Peace. The quest for the stars, an AI assisted life of leisure, true passionate love, and great accomplishments in sports and the arts lie before us.

Within a couple generations, one can envision a once again lush and productive environment surrounding human works; where all basic needs are met, as those who work hard have reasonably more of the fruits of natural abundance.

A right-sized human future will be one of peace, ecology, truth, and equity if we want it to be. Or else business as usual means incomprehensible human and natural suffering before being ends. A verdant future is ours to make.