• Question: Does it really matter (long term) what we do to the planet, as a species we won't be here long - the planet outlives us and will recover from whatever we do...

    Asked by anon-253415 to Daire on 11 May 2020.
    • Photo: Daire Harvey-Carroll

      Daire Harvey-Carroll answered on 11 May 2020:

      Hmmm more of a philosophical question than a scientific one – our actions are already causing the extinction of a huge number of species so I at least feel a moral obligation to try and protect them. Also the one things our actions certainly can do is make living conditions worse for humans on the planet so it’s in our best interests to try and protect the environment.

Comments

  • Photo: Jon

    Jon commented on :

    This is an ethical issue, one where we have to choose what we do. Let me ask you a different question – does it matter if someone takes your lunch without you wanting them to? What if someone took away your house? Within our lifetime we will see the effects of climate change in terms of hotter summers, more extreme weather and droughts. The actions that we take today, specifically with regards to climate change, will make a big difference in whether we are able to grow food for ourselves in the future. A lot of people in the world live near rivers or the sea, and rising sea levels will mean that they have to leave their homes.

    In the long term, the planet will adapt, but we get to make choices about how we live today. If we choose to live in harmony with nature, then there is no reason that both the planet and our species can survive long into the future.

  • sophiesteward commented on :

    I believe what we do matters in the long term, whether we are here or not. It does depend on what you care about though. For me I have gone into conservation because I care about nature for the wildlife, not for us. I try to be as sustainable as possible for wildlife not for us. The one bit of piece I get from the damage we do to the environment is the fact we will destroy ourselves, then the planet can start a fresh without us.

    I think its important to maintain and help the environment on a long term basis for the wildlife that will come once we are gone, to reduce the damage and suffering we will have caused. On the front of human life, if we act now to reduce our long term impacts we can reduce the suffering of future generations, and ensure the human race lives on for longer, and you never know if we manage to live for a long enough time, someone may come along and will have found a way to completely reverse the damage we have done, which in turn will ensure the continued survival of the human race.

  • Photo: Matt

    Matt commented on :

    I suppose it depends on how you mean “does it matter”. We all make our own decisions about what matters to us and what people should care about. If you think humanity is worth saving, or if the quality of life of your children and grandchildren matter to you, then the science strongly evidences that it does matter what we do to the Earth.

  • Photo: Becca

    Becca commented on :

    I started writing an answer to this a couple of days ago and have only just come back to it. Apologies if I am repeating anything from the great answers above!

    Very interesting question which is also an ethical one highlighting our responsibility and morality as a species sharing this planet. Here is what I think:

    When considering how we treat the planet (the point of cutting carbon emissions, conserving species to support ecological stability of our planet etc…) I think it is really important to think in the here and now, the not so distant future and the distant future (as you describe as long term).

    Why the here and now and not so distant future?

    It is extremely important to consider the human beings which are not responsible for climate change such as those living in developing countries and the younger generations (yourself, your children, grandchildren and so on…). According to the World Bank on average in the Demographic Republic of Congo each person is responsible for 0.1 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The Demographic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world. In comparison the average person in the USA is responsible for 16.5 metric tonnes a year. Yet the poorest countries are experiencing the effects of climate change much more than we are. For example, Southern Africa is currently facing the worst drought in the region for 35 years. It is expected that 45 million people will face severe food shortages in the coming months.

    It is also very important to consider the other species we share it with. They are not responsible for the large release of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) which are causing climate change. Yet, they are having to survive through tougher environmental conditions such as droughts, habitat loss etc… A reason why we are now in a new geological era named the ‘Anthropocene’ characterised by mass species loss.

    Now considering the distant future?

    We do not know how long humans will exist for. We as humans have evolved from life that according to the fossil record started on this planet 3.5 billion years ago. Depends how far into the future you are looking… life may have evolved from humans, life may have evolved from other species we share our planet, life may have been completely wiped out but earth will remain or earth may not exist.

    But what I think is more important is we do not know if our actions will have long lasting damage. For example, we are now stated to be on the verge of a climatic tipping point due to greenhouse gas emissions. It is predicted that if we warm the planet 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures (at the dawn of the industrial revolution when greenhouse gas emissions started to increase) we are likely to experience abrupt and irreversible changes in our climate system. Whilst physically the Earth is likely to remain through this, I think the majority of life on earth will not recover.

    Therefore, there are many reasons to act and to look after the planet in the here and now! Information about how you can help reduce emissions and look after the planet is here > https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/?s=climate+change
    https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/

  • Photo: Adam

    Adam commented on :

    It matters more if we want to preserve humanity and other species that currently live on our planet until we have developed the technology to expand into the universe. If we do cause a mass extinction event that destroys us then life (in some form) is likely to bounce back as it has proven time and time again. That being said, in a few billion years when the sun enters it’s red giant phase and dramatically expands, it will first burn and then likely engulf the Earth, or eject it from the solar system making it uninhabitable.