This is just too depressing.
on large time scales the Earth is more like a roller coaster than a balance beam. Not saying it's right for us to destroy, but there are worse prior examples, aka cyanobacteria "blue green algae" The oxygen they produced killed off almost everything else 2.4 billion years ago.
We at least have the ability to chose not to wipe out everything.... but it's not looking too good.
 arnies
                                                
                                                Level 7
                                                May 25, 2018
                                            
                                                
                                                    arnies
                                                
                                                Level 7
                                                May 25, 2018                                            
                                        IMO we have a hope in AI and robotics. It won't be easy. AI and robotics can take all jobs; that's both a cultural and economic change. If the current rulers have their way, we will be dead; progressives must gain control of the US government. If we do, we can make the robots work for us, instead of only for the rich. If the bots work for us, they can provide all we need. If necessary, they can build space habitats, which can house and provide for any imaginable population, trillions of people. In addition, they can help nature on Earth recover, including reverse climate change. The futurists, such as Ray Kurzweil, say 2029 will be the year AI reaches human skill. Robots are capable enough, but still a bit crude.
 EdEarl
                                                
                                                Level 8
                                                May 23, 2018
                                            
                                                
                                                    EdEarl
                                                
                                                Level 8
                                                May 23, 2018                                            
                                        I personally don't think that's the way it will go.
I agree that we've been a dreadful species and expanded to the point where we are seriously having to question the limits of how far we can go without dramatic changes, but what sort of statistic is that? What percentage of all life on earth are mammals? It's a false comparison of the proportions I'd expect from... oh wait it IS the guardian.
 Ianwalker1980
                                                
                                                Level 5
                                                May 23, 2018
                                            
                                                
                                                    Ianwalker1980
                                                
                                                Level 5
                                                May 23, 2018                                            
                                        They were reporting on a study done by someone else.
Just as it states in the article a growing number of biologists believe we're living through the sixth great extinction.
 kmdskit3
                                                
                                                Level 8
                                                May 23, 2018
                                            
                                                
                                                    kmdskit3
                                                
                                                Level 8
                                                May 23, 2018                                            
                                        Yep.
One thing i never understood, is why humans have had to obliterate so many other species.... KNOWING that extinction is FOREVER ... i mean WTF?
 blueskies
                                                
                                                Level 7
                                                May 22, 2018
                                            
                                                
                                                    blueskies
                                                
                                                Level 7
                                                May 22, 2018                                            
                                        It's a by-product of the our growing population and the way we live and what we eat.
@tnorman1236 and dominionism.
@SurvivorSteph Dominionism?