The Situation: Overshoot
Human population has overshot environmental carrying capacity of planet Earth.
Worldwide air & ocean temperatures have risen 1.6° C and continue to climb
Animal populations and diversity decimated. At increasing rates
Worldwide glaciers melt away, notably in West Antarctica and Greenland
Frozen methane (potent greenhouse gas)releases, at very large and increasing rates.
Ocean temperatures record high continuously since 2022, by huge margin
Extreme Inequality of wealth & well-being
Rising authoritarianism: Justice and democracy increasingly rare worldwide
Refugees worldwide, in very large and increasing numbers
Natural world Impacts
Humans and their livestock now 96% of total mammal mass, wild mammals only 4%
50% of Coral reefs have died since 1950. Reef diversity down 63%. -Smithsonian
Insects: 41% in population decline, some are down 75% (Germany)
Birds: lost 3 billion in N. America (1 in 4), >50% in population decline
Fish: 1/3 of freshwater fish face extinction, 83% down worldwide
All Mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish: down 69% since 1970 worldwide
Extinction rates soaring: estimated from 100 to 10,000 times higher than historically
Causes are known:
- Fossil fuel greenhouse gases, leading to excess and over-consuming human population
- Causers, (~90% we the wealthy in global north), continue to choose harmful behaviors
- Causers (including banks, fossil fuel corps and we ourselves) resist & prevent change
- Political will to make needed changes is almost completely absent
Consequences, near-term (and present time), for humans
Physical
Socio/Economic
Course correction possibilities exist,
(but require whole-system reversal & transformation)
