"Eaarth": Earth is over - Environment

Nothing like a volcano to set things into perspective.

Go Iceland! (the weather has cooled due to the volcano)

I can't (& won't) believe this thought that Earth is already dead. Of all of mankind's victims,... Earth is the ONLY thing that will ABSOLUTELY survive. It's Earth's creatures that are either already dead or dying. But what I am convinced of,... is the fact that we no longer live in a natural world. But, in any case,... this proclamation is NO excuse to stop trying.

Twould be nice if we would act on time, BEFORE Environmental Destruction escalates to an ultimate emergency level. But,... that's not the human way. Unfortunately,... humans won't stop effing up this planet until the very last minute. So, maybe - just maybe - a little doomsaying can lead to some necessary changes.

I must preface this with I am not a geologist. Today another 6.3 magnitude earthquake stuck Papa New Guinea. But with much reading I do understand the convection that goes on underneath the tectonic plates that actually moves these plates around the world. The plates float on the molten subsurface. We are having multiple earthquakes all around the world. There is a South Atlantic magnetic anomaly happening and intensifying there. If plates float on a molten subsurface and magnetic anomaly is under way, it stands to reason that there is a magnetic change under way. Our molten core is primarly made up of metals which in turn are affected by magnetic change. The quake in Chile is reported to have changed the axis of earth about 1 degree. The molten magnetic subsurface must respond to changes in the magnetic directions creating possibly earthquakes and a volcano eruption. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, basic law of physics. I am starting to be wary of what I read from all directions. Why is this not being addressed? Geologists are able to determine magnetic direction in rocks found millions of years old so they know that there must be and impact from an axis change of any amount that it affects the molten subsurface which the plates float on top of. Food for thought.

I'm sure there's a lot of truth in his statement but saying the previous earth is dead is poor wording. I believe that the earth has been forever changed by human activity but that's not the final nail in the coffin!

Life is resilient. Species are going extinct at such a rate that it truly makes me depressed but I have a bit of hope knowing that it will go on; it will flourish. It's going to be a different world that's just as amazing as what we perceive today. The species will evolve as they always have. I'm sure in the eyes of a gorgonopsian, the world was dead as well (it almost was!), but look at what came after the Permian. Incidentally, today's ecological problems are oddly parallel to that time.

I agree with many of you that statements like Mr. McKibben's are very counter-productive. It's like throwing in the towel when we need action along the lines of preservation and education. It's irresponsible to possess the knowledge to repent for our past mistakes and not act. It's not a difficult transition to be "eco-friendly" on an individual level and that's where change always begins.

And I thought I would get to see the culmination of the Popul Vuh's prophecy before Hell froze over. I am sorry humanity I woefully underestimated your creativity.

the earth is full of water,oil,land.we have been pumping water and oil out for years.now with the ice melting it is becoming unstable.there have been
more large earthquakes lately we have never had a string like this.it has to
shift we cant pump out all the oil and water and think nothing is going to happen.
humans are like tics on a dog and we are going to get thrown off. those that
survive might have a good planet to screw up again.

this is some dumb shit. who cares? seriously. it shouldnt bother you and we shouldnt rename our planet to something so dumb. Eaarth. what are you? retaarded?

we have had too many earthquakes this year...

These many earthquakes -and especially now volcanoes spewing the skies full of ash- seem to be saying yes, a tipping point has been passed. When the Chile quake knocked the earth to a new axis -altering the length of a year- I think we all knew deep in our gut we are staring at the finish line now baby.

Some years ago an article was written about a long quake fault in Turkey and how at any time one quake could set off a chain reaction of more quakes. Perhaps planet earth is doing that same thing now... but it did NOT do it immediately. There was a time lag of at least 10 years of extra climate heat.

It therefore seems rather plain to conclude that whatever is happening now today will run a 10 year course we are unable to stop. If we did EVERYTHING RIGHT starting today, China stopped making extra coal-fueled power plants and the whole 9 yards, we're still looking at 10 years. Unfortunately the Obama Administration keeps projecting plans on a 15-20-30 year schedule, whatever it takes to protect the Economy.

The ice caps melting plus ground permafrost melt represents a major repositioning of weight from the polar caps down across the Equator, apparently pressing upward under Iceland. I know how that sounds, Apocalyptic yes, and yet if the volcanic ash causes a fast nuclear winter to begin it could reverse in a matter of months.

It may turn out to be rather marvelous to watch. But unless we make a major metamorphosis and do things God's Way we seem to never learn. Instead of taking a bullet this is a time to ask God to take over please. All our scientists + all our governments put us into a situation we cannot extricate ourselves from. If this is the best smarts we have we need HELP.

Perhaps it will come to an apocalyptic state in some places as pressaged so much in current literature and films. Doubtless there will be many large and tragic events that will continue to unfold, but I don't imagine the results to be so personally and dramatically focused in most places.
I myself have no dogs. And, within reason, I do allow some fellow humans, hopefully ones with some wit and promise, to take advantage of me and the systems I've been able to create thus far. I think that trait is one of our better human habits to preserve, and part of the reason there might still be a thread of hope in the growing global tsunami of bad news and worse effects.

Thats why I live on a 300 acre farm with organic fields to grow, can raise chickens and cattle organicly. Our own water system. And our shotguns. And I would glady help those in need if it ever comes to it. But don't try to take advantage of me. And my rotties

Whether or not anyone can ever successfully determine the arrival of the "tipping point" as Tommic argues, I believe he, and certainly, remanns, pjacobs, onemalefia, CaptB, and I think, JanforGore, would agree we can't wait any longer, and we can't wait on "someone else" to change the way we live on the earth.
No one here has a naive view of the problem, or the damage done, although we may differ over the extent.

My dark views of the current state of damage were formed over many years in many years of travel and in review of the actual numbers involved. Reporting how bad it is doesn't necessarily mean giving in to despair.

Humankind is as adaptable and craftier than the cockroach (although more sensitive to atomic radiation) and will survive in one form or another even given the staggering damage we've done to the planet.

I love some humans and admire what some have done, and can do, but that hasn't inoculated me from sympathizing with James Lovelock's view that the now unavoidable disastrous consequences of our massive numbers, witless technologies and unchecked cancerous greed will be real stopping point, not a sudden worldwide elevation of human consciousness and behavior.

To that end, take action now yourself on the course that McKibben, as well as many before him have urged and create personal sustainable alternatives. Hopefully, you are doing that in the wisest and most defensible way and in some part, saving those best, and now wiser, parts of the human culture and human experience.

That's what I do.

Well,....I personally didn't find the tone of the article particularly morose or defeatist,....merely severe and unsparing. There are productive steps that the peoples of the earth can take,....you just cant "UNDO" certain things. All in all,....well writ.

---I enjoyed this bit a lot-

"Think about the incredible regard we have for the economy. "It’s healing," we say. "It’s going through a rough patch." We talk about it like it’s our aging mother. Whereas with the Earth, we say, "Oh well, it’s going through its natural cycles, don’t worry." Which is slightly crazy, because clearly the economy is a subset of the natural world, not the other way around".

Since what the planet is undergoing, its an easy assumption to make that really no person knows for sure when we will or if we have passed the tipping point where anything we do will make a difference. But that does not mean we should not try to make this a better planet than we are on pace to make it a worse planet for human habitation. Jan is right fatalism is dangerous. Mankind has come up huge in the past when needed, its time to do it again. But we do need the Chinese, India, and other developing nations to follow a lead and that lead can only come from the United States as we are the #1 polluter of the planet now. Even with all we've done we have not done enough.

I don't like doomsayers, but we need more people to get people energized about what we are doing to the planet. I think through honest scientific reports and showing us what is going on and getting politicians involved is the way to change things. The republicans are dead set against allowing any corporation to change their current practices in fear of affecting profits. We have to look past billion dollar profits and regulate pollution.

Good way to keep people from doing anything about it. Good way to keep them lazy. I agree, there is much damage being done which I too have reported on to move people, but there is also much good that I have seen and I still believe there is hope to preserve this world's sustainability years longer if people would simply stop making these fatalistic assumptions and join together to change ourselves. But hey, maybe I am just too much of a damned idealist. Maybe I should just commit hari -kari today and end it all since it's all over anyway. Is that what you are proposing? Is that what you want me to tell my son?

Voted down.