Earth Vs. Human Beings

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Did anyone ever think that human beings are actually Mother Earth's incurable cancer?

Nope. I don’t feel that way at all.

I'm afraid we are sometimes but I also believe us humans have the potential to be mother earth's savior if we would all realize how important it is to take care of her & quit worshiping the mighty dollar

Yes, very much so. Something along those lines has been my view of it for almost my entire life.

In a manner of speaking. You could view us that way.

During the Paleolithic we were just one more large species of mammal on the ice age planet. But since the Ice Age our numbers have grown hugely (from three million to seven billion), so more biomass is in the form of human beings than any other single species on earth now, or ever. So in a sense our one species is like a cell in a body metasizing out of control like a cancer cell.

Maybe a nuclear war could be seen as a kind a radiation treatment and reduce the size of the cancer.

Nah. The majority of the earth is unpopulated by humans.

No, I think the attitude that no one should live just so we can preserve the third rock from the sun is an incurable cancer. We're here--this is our house, so we get to live here, but we've also been tasked with preserving it. Unfortunately we don't really do so hot on that last bit. So it's time to take care of the Earth, but never should we treat a world as more deserving of existence than a human (which is where that ideology tends to lead.)

The simple fact we exist, means there's something to exist for. Means, there's a purpose to our lives, just that we haven't found that purpose yet.
If the purpose isnt clear, people just do whatever they want or feel like doing. Thats the automatic reaction.

The entire human population of the world can be fit into the state of Texas, alone. Overpopulation is a myth. There's a very good documentary titled Demographic Winter.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954377/

Both sides spout BS.

Saying that "over population is a myth" is BS.

But on the other hand the hysteria about overpopulation is also excessive.

The fact that there are uninhabited parts of the world is irrelevant. And the fact that if we all stood in one place in one tailgate party we would all fit into an area the size of Tennesee is also irrelevant. It takes acreage of land and resources to support a human being.

It took humans a million years to get from zero to two billion (during WWII), but only one lifetime to get from that to seven billion.

HOWEVER...

We reached "peak baby" way back in 1972. That was the year the greatest number of babies were born in world history. First the rich countries, and then the poor countries dramatically reduced their birth rates. And have done so in a short time. Mostly due to urbanization. And not even by making a cause out of it. On the farm children are capital goods (like factory plant and equipment -what you need to run the business). In the big city where our peasant ancestors became wage earning factory workers- children became consumer goods (like cruises, or sports cars). So naturally folks invested in fewer of them. And the trend is spreading to more of the world as the world industrializes.

So humans ARE getting better at controlling their numbers. And doing so without things like nuclear war, or reviving the plagues of old. So despite this sudden expansion in our numbers in the long run it will flatten out, and even start to go down in numbers given current trends. But our still expanding number will make it a bumpy ride until then.

i have always thought that the analogy between our existence on earth and a viral infection was an apt one...

population of egypt just passed 100 million people - that is twice the population of the already cramped england in an area half the size of ireland. there is a problem there. supporting that many people will prove to be a massive undertaking which can put the local environment at risk...let's hope masri manages to take care of both.

overpopulation is not a myth. when people talk about overpopulation they aren't referring to lack of space...yes we can all fit in texas, or tennessee, or palestine, but we'd probably all die soon thereafter should an epidemic or natural disaster arise. those scenarios aren't realistic and are made to prove a point about land usage. people today, westerners especially, consume huge amounts of resources and providing those resources uses up a huge amount of land, water, energy, etc. more than a house. therein lie the problems

either way we are in uncharted territory. seven billion and more may be manageable, IF we stop consuming so much s**t.

not sure what this means? you can't have one without the other



majority of the earth does not have human residences =/= majority of the earth has been unaffected by man.
important distinction.

Exactly. Us humans do not live underwater yet the oceans are suffering greatly from things like plastic pollution, oil spills, overfishing, ect.

yep...very few people if any, live in the mountains of santa ynez and san gabriel behind SB and LA in california...but they go up in flames every year and it affects thousands nearby. to name a close-to-home example.

same thing for the amazon.

west kazakhstan is empty as can be, but the aral sea? completely destroyed.