As most of us* wring our hands over the undeniable reality of climate change, pollution, and the general degredation of our planet, a common comment made by environmental activists is that we have to take care of the Earth because "there's no planet B." This is undeniably true, as any potentially habitable planet is so far distant from us that we would never reach it in our lifetimes, even if the technology were available**.
Not only is there no planet B within reasonable reach, we probably wouldn't be able to survive on one if we found it, anyway, according to this fascinating article by Arwen Nicholson and Raphaël Haywood.
Their bottom line is that finding an "Earth-like" planet is not enough, because the Earth we inhabit today is the result of billions of years of the fortuitous combination of geologic development and complementary evolution of the range of plant and animal life that keeps the planet in a life-supporting balance. As they write,
We don’t just need a planet roughly the same size and temperature as Earth; we need a planet that spent billions of years evolving with us. We depend completely on the billions of other living organisms that make up Earth’s biosphere. Without them, we cannot survive. Astronomical observations and Earth’s geological record are clear: the only planet that can support us is the one we evolved with. There is no plan B. There is no planet B. Our future is here, and it doesn’t have to mean we’re doomed.
What about the possibility, however remote, of actually finding other life in the universe? As Nicholson and Haywood observe,
... finding alien life does not mean finding another planet that we can move to. Just as life on Earth has evolved with our planet over billions of years, forming a deep, unique relationship that makes the world we see today, any alien life on a distant planet will have a similarly deep and unique bond with its own planet. We can’t expect to be able to crash the party and find a warm welcome.
Read the article, and think about what the implications are for our grandchildren, and for their grandchildren. Because there really isn't a planet B, however appealing the idea may be.
Have a good day. More thoughts coming.
Bilbo
* Not applicable to Republicans.
* Not applicable to Republicans.
** Spoiler: it isn't. And it won't be.
Admittedly, I feel some guilt over traveling for the pleasure of traveling. There is no way to offset the huge carbon debt from air travel.
ReplyDeleteI drive much less than I used to, use the motorcycle when I can, and have a 2023 hybrid Ford Maverick on order. I am trying to reduce single plastic use and recycle whenever possible. I feel like I'm too small to have much of an impact, but too much of a consumer to do nothing about trying to reduce my own carbon footprint.
In total and utter agreement.
ReplyDeleteNothing will happen until there is a major breakdown. Then the politicians will come out of the woodwork to solve the problem (that they created).
ReplyDeleteWe need to get better at working with our planet instead of raping it for profits.
ReplyDeleteInteresting; hadn't thought about it in this way but it makes good sense.
ReplyDeleteMy wishful thinking is that aliens will come, wanting to procure all our plastic waste strewn around the planet. They can just beam it up!