We Are Nature's Manager Now.

By TLS

The title above has been said many times in many different ways. However, I still thought it was a fantastic quote, and stated in a way I don’t think I’ve heard before. It really says ‘Yes, we are responsible for everything on Earth now.’ The quote comes from a Big Think video with biologist Sean B. Carroll posted around Dec 28, 2024. I like Big Think, they have some good stuff.

But why are we responsible now? Up until just a couple hundred years ago this statement was not true. Natural selection was still in the driver’s seat. Not so anymore. Nature is now more like a backseat driver, nagging at us to do better. Today, humans have an unbelievable impact on the world. We are shaping everything to fit us. Unfortunately, that shaping is usually done with the naive assumption that everything will be just fine.

What does this mean? Plant and animal diversity on the planet is decreasing at an astonishing rate. So far we’ve been able to continue like nothing has happened. But, like forecasting the weather, soon we may get an unexpected and very unpleasant surprise. Biodiversity on Earth is a fine balancing act among countless participants. It is an enormous system, which is probably why it hasn’t collapsed…yet. But, it is definitely leaning, more and more, in that direction.

Best case scenario? The food chain doesn’t completely collapse causing massive global starvation. We kill off 99% plus of all life on Earth and then turn it into a farm of a few dozen species of plant and animal. I guess that might work but what a dismal prospect.

Or, we finally manage to kill the base foundation of the food chain, mosquitos and plankton and such. Larger species and plants begin to die off, and then we start circling the drain, rapidly.

It’s unlikely that would be a human species extinction event. More likely it would be similar to one of Earth’s handful of mass extinctions. Some humans would almost certainly survive though, for bettor or worse.

Either way, not good, in the extreme. Humans today have nearly god-like control over our environments. Unfortunately, so far we seem to only use that power for destruction rather than for good. There are small, little projects here and there meant to help local systems. But that’s probably similar to using a bandaid on a traumatic amputation of a limb. It’s not really getting the job done. Will we ever start effectively managing on a global scale with a global mindset? Unlikely without some sort of sledgehammer of reality to our faces to force us to change. Unfortunately, that’s usually what it takes to make us take notice, a good ‘ol fashion sledgehammer to the face is a very effective teaching instrument. Maybe one of these days we can see it coming and dodge it. Unlikely, but I suppose anything is possible.

If you’ve read this far, you already know the truth. We are not just living on Earth. We are shaping it. The only question is whether we will manage it with wisdom or with destruction. If you believe these conversations matter, share this post, leave a comment, and join me here as we continue to wrestle with the biggest question of all: what kind of managers do we want to be?