The Plan for Earth’s Future

 by Attish Das

How can we ‘Homo Sapiens’, meaning wise man, and nature blossom together in the future? This is the real most important question of the present generation. In the next few years, we ‘homo sapiens’ need to do something which we are very good at: change the world and achieve a sustainable existence on Earth. But how do we do this?

First, we need to understand how we humans got into the situation we are in right now. You see, if the Earth’s history from when it formed were shrunk to the size of twenty-four hours, humans would have first appeared only two seconds before midnight. When humans first emerged on planet Earth, we had to survive with all that nature gave us. When there was a problem, like when a dam is needed, it got fixed. But now humans have transformed the world too much, and now the Earth is being damaged. Soon, it may be that any type of organism cannot live on Earth.

Scientists have now decided that Earth has entered a new phase of existence, the Anthropocene, the age of humans. Now, the tables have turned between humans and nature. We are not equal with nature so if we do not do something quick, this phase is due to be short lived. It is now we who depend on our nature’s survival if we want to live any longer.

How to Deal with this Problem?

When it is broken down, there is one problem: planet Earth is becoming less wild. Our species has killed around 3 trillion trees (3,000,000,000,000 trees), lots of fish across most of the ocean and lots of land animals being used for a lot of parts like meat, and other things. In the last fifty years, the population of wild animals have reduced by sixty percent replacing them with ourselves, domestic plants and animals. It is the biggest problem we have faced. A less wild world is less able to provide for our needs so all the wildlife in the world, from slugs in your back garden to elephants in Africa, all matters as a component in the global machine.

 

As scientists have discovered, something is happening which has never at all happened before. And that something is that people are having fewer children. Since the year two thousand, the number of people aged under sixteen has hardly changed. But then why is the population still growing? It is growing because people are living longer. If this continues, the population will stop growing by the end of the twenty-first century.

The plan for this planet is extraordinarily simple.

·        Facing out our fossil fuels and replacing them with renewables. This will not only slow down the warming of planet Earth, and the acidification of the oceans, but it will lead to clean air for all of us.

·        Getting efficient food production and reducing our consumption of meat. This will reduce deforestation and our demand for clean water.

·        Working together to properly manage the ocean. A global network of ‘no fish zones’ and a treaty of the use of international waters so it actually produces more fish for us to eat.

·        Rewild the world. Encouraging nature on waters, land we no longer need and even our cities.

If we all follow these four tasks, then this Anthropocene will provide for all our needs.

We will be proud to call it Our Earth.