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What Earth Without People Would Look Like
Raynor writes "Imagine a world without people. What if every human being, all 6.5 billion of us, were suddenly abducted and the planet was left to fend for itself? The planet would heal. 'The sad truth is, once the humans get out of the picture, the outlook starts to get a lot better,' says John Orrock, a conservation biologist. Pollution would cease being created. It would remain around for many years, CO2 taking as long as 20,000 years to be restored to it's natural level, but will decrease. Even if we were all whisked away and our nuclear reactors melted down, it would have a surprisingly little effect on the planet. Chernobyl gives hope to this end. 'I really expected to see a nuclear desert there,' says Ronald Chesser, an environmental biologist. 'I was quite surprised. When you enter into the exclusion zone, it's a very thriving ecosystem.' In the grand scheme of the world there would be little evidence of our existence at 100,000 years. The most permanent piece is the radio waves we've emitted of the last century. As the article puts it, 'The humbling — and perversely comforting — reality is that the Earth will forget us remarkably quickly.'"
Although it does seem that way, in 100,000 years, this planet would seem like it was empty of any "intelligent" life forms...except that the animals would truely be the intelligent ones for being able to survive without the need for hurting the planet they live on...what has become of us humans? Are we no better than a common criminal? Taking the life of a planet for our own?
Pollution is - or ought to be - a tort.
That'd be great, except for having to prove damages. We had a representative of some company write into our paper complaining that more-stringent emissions requirements would destroy their company and that for a particular toxin, even the current level required is "too strict" and cites some numbers indicating that at the current level, only one in a million people will get cancer from their exhaust. How do I sue that company for "increasing my risk of death"? If I'm the unlucky one in a million (our city has 2 million people, so at least I shouldn't die alone), how do I prove that that company's emissions is killing me, as opposed to the other 50000 companies dumping toxins on the ground, in the air, and in the water, and who don't bother to brag about poisoning everyone? Maybe if there was the reverse of a class action lawsuit where I could sue all 50001 companies at once.
It would be different if it were employees or customers that they were killing, because then I could choose not to buy their products or not to work in their factories, but by killing completely unrelated people with their poisons, the people they are poisoning would not have any economic control over them. Thus, this cannot be solved strictly by a free market situation.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
We're hurting each other and also other animals and plant life on this planet. How many species of animal and plant have become extinct since man became the dominant species on this planet?
Hey, be positive... finally an HONEST environmentalist!
We all know that what they really want is the extinction of mankind, or at least a return to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. What else can explain their constant protests against corporations, governments, pretty much every energy source known to man, technologies that help farmers, etc?
Comment of the year
They made their bed, let them sleep (or die) in it.
Their culture dictated that boy's lives were more important than girl's lives, so let them figure out how to deal with it- just the same as the Mormans in Utah (Salt Lake City founded by 167 men, 3-8 (don't remember exactly)women- from a brochure in a motel in SLC- remember that there was more men than women, children, and livestock combined by a HUGE ratio- scary!)
This is a prime example of a patriarchal(SP?) system gone bad.
If they take the "Homo" route, so be it. If they take the conquest route (for more women/get rid of excess of men), then nuke them back to the stone age where they belong with that attitude.
BTW, not afraid of pick-axe handles and machetes, so carry on.
Not PC enuff?- PC in my books= Personal Computer, not Politically Correct, so carry on to your heart's content.
Bottom line: make fscked up laws/condtions, then deal with the fallout. We're dealing with this in the USA now.
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti