The Drumbeat of Doom™ seems to have gotten much louder over the last two days!

[GliderGuider]

NY Times: Ocean Life Faces Mass Extinction, Broad Study Says

The Guardian: Rate of environmental degradation puts life on Earth at risk, say scientists

CNN: The climate is ruined. So can civilization even survive?

Sciencedaily: Nearly half the systems crucial to stability of planet compromised

University of Wisconsin: Humanity has exceeded 4 of 9 ‘planetary boundaries,’ according to researchers

NY Times again: Ocean Life Faces Mass Extinction, Broad Study Says

Science Magazine: Marine defaunation: Animal loss in the global ocean

CommonDreams: That Was Easy: In Just 60 Years, Neoliberal Capitalism Has Nearly Broken Planet Earth

Quite the wake-up call...

[GliderGuider]

1. Referring to the CommonDreams article on neoliberal capitalism

The sub-head reads, "Pair of new studies show how various forms of human activity, driven by a flawed economic system and vast consumption, is laying waste to Earth's natural systems."

To wax teleological for a moment, whether we view capitalism as flawed depends on how we understand its goals - if an emergent complex system can indeed be said to have "goals". IMO "we the people" view capitalism as flawed because we have different goals that are not being met by the system. But the system seems to be doing just fine at meeting its own primary goal - which as far as I can figure out is to maximize its own growth through the conversion of raw materials into products and garbage, and the conversion of energy into work and waste heat. IOW, the system's primary, over-riding goal is to maximize its own growth.

Perhaps we view it as flawed because we mistake the system for ourselves? It's not - it has its own existence, its own nature and its own goals. We are part of it, but only part of it. Its primary fealty is to its holistic "self" - as is the case for all complex systems.

[AgingAmerican]

7. Capitalism

...does not come with an 'off switch'. It is sort of like a mafia, once it starts up, it takes on a life of it's own and cannot easily be shut down.

Capitalism can only survive with an infinite supply of resources, which does not exist. The real question is what will replace Capitalism...

[LouisvilleDem]

13. Capitalism merely seeks to maximize the efficiency of production

And that in and of itself is not a bad thing.

In a free and transparent market with healthy competition, the producers which provide goods and services most efficiently will be able to offer the lowest price and therefore 'win'. What goods and services the system produces depends entirely on what the people that make up the market want. If the vast majority of people wanted environmentally conscientious products rather than the cheapest shit they can find, then that is what the system would produce. IOW, don't blame the system, blame the people.

[rickford66]

2. It's too late so why do anything!

I'm sure that's the underlying message being spread by the Kochs et al.

[n2doc]

4. It's never too late to do something

The problem is actually doing something. Lots of pressure to just go along and keep on keeping on….

[cilla4progress]

3. I'm "hoping" the same greed

and technology that is taking us down will save our sorry asses. At least save the animals and nature. People, meh ...

[Politicalboi]

5. I feel the same way

I feel more for innocent animals and nature than anything else. We had our chance, and blew it 40 years ago. And they still laugh at tree huggers.

[calimary]

6. I know how you feel. I AM a "tree-hugger."

I feel more for the animals and trees and wilderness areas than I do for humanity - that seems hellbent on fouling the nest to extinction-level extremes. And the mentality of the "when the last tree is felled, Jesus will come back!" lame-brains. Like ronald reagan's lovely interior secretary, james watt. He actually said that in testimony before some committee on Capitol Hill back then. I was watching. My jaw dropped to the floor. I remember thinking, in horror, "and THIS is ronald reagan's idea of a 'worthy' Secretary of the Interior."

[cilla4progress]

10. Oh man, we are on the same page!

Don't they call this the "anthropocene"? And isn't it the end?

Like cockraches, we are!


"The Anthropocene is an informal geologic chronological term for the proposed epoch that began when human activities had a significant global impact on the Earth's ecosystems."

[zeemike]

8. Not if you have your head in the sand.

And there are a lot of people with their heads in the sand.

[jimlup]

9. Unfortunately half of the literate population is too busy watching

"Dancing with the Stars" or "The Bachelorette" to notice.

[cilla4progress]

11. def

[OKIsItJustMe]

12. To be fair, that's really 3 stories, primarily drawn from 2 studies

Significant stories, yes, but...

[GliderGuider]

14. But each exposure is to a different audience.