It is inexorable. It is one of the drivers pf evolution. The climate was changed by an asteroid and reptiles gave way to mammals and birds. Amid drastic upheaval in Africa the great rift valley formed - and the evolution of great apes began. Forest gave way to plains and a great ape evolved which walked upright. Further climate upheaval led to a bipedal hominid evolving developing greater intelligence and dominating the entire earth.
You should be asking what new species will evolve as a result of this species being perhaps over-clever rather than being truly intelligent.

i'm glad i didn't have children