---------- Forwarded message --------- From: r kanth <[email protected]> Date: Mon, Aug 20, 2018 at 1:30 AM Subject: Fwd: From Rajani: The End of Evolution? To: Michel Bauwens <[email protected]> *Doomsday?* May not be far away. Remember Barry Mcguire? His song was titled ‘Eve of Destruction’. Could be an anthem for us all, in these times. Let me explain. Turns out I am not the only gloom-sayer around. The really hard act here is Dr. Guy Mcpherson, Biologist and Concerned Citizen(he’s all over *Youtube).* He is predicting an *early* , *abrupt*, extinction for us anthropic beings ( I detest the term ‘ homo sapiens’: *Homo Baceolus *might be more apt?). Here’s a digest. *Firstly,* our *Habitat.* Our species has been around for a bit. But 99% of all species are now extinct. Are we next? Yes, likely. In 1750 – the baseline year of Industrialisation - - planetary temp was at 13.5 Celsius. The species has survived, Guy estimates, at no more than about 2 Degrees above that, and that may be the highest that permits a real habitat for humans. Today we are already 1.6 Degrees above the 1750 baseline. Close. *Second*, ‘*Civilisation’ *– his term, not mine – is a veritable *heat engine.* Only way to turn off this heating is a total collapse of this’ civilisation’ *tout a fait.* But , *Third,* such a collapse of this ‘civ’ brings about, in turn, yet another crisis: *global dimming.* Industrial activity produces *particularates* that blanket the earth and block sun’s rays this ‘cooling’ the earth ( by some 3 degrees). If we stop that engine then the planet heats up some more , maybe , by another 4.5 Degrees. There goes our Habitat. *Fourth*, is what he calls the *Sixth (Mass) *Extinction: the *ominicide* extant that is killing off as many as , perhaps, 200 species *a day.* Their death presages ours. Plus, the steady melt of Arctic ice could release trapped methane in abrupt fashion. All that could shoot Planetary temp up to 19 Degrees, *within a year or two, at most:* *ergo,* crop failures, droughts, starvation, *et. al (*note, he sees the ‘commencement ‘ of this scenario within but a year or so). Pop goes the weasel. Why aren’t the powers that *shouldn’t *be telling us? Fear, of mass panic. Even science journals are loth to print such radical ideas. So, what can be done? *Nothing,* says Guy, since it’s out of control already. We are doomed. *Instead, he asks us to remain calm, pursue excellence, and pursue love.* Whew. Tall order. I like the last, the second to last is but an old affectation, and the first may be well beyond reach. I register only 2 informed objections – to his analysis - neither of them minor. No, ‘Western Civ’ is not ‘civ’, by any stretch ( I have explained this in many *Works*): it in fact a ‘culture of death’ , to use a telling phrase of environmentalist Vandana Shiva, that has brought us to this catastrophic pass. Second, if we are counting, it’s not the 6th, but, in fact, the 7th Extinction. *The Sixth was the genocide against Non-Europeans, carried out by Europe, non-stop since 1492.* Yes, *non-stop.* Have a look around. Other than that, his logic and facts appear sound. We need to listen to Barry. And to Guy. It’s time for soothsayers to step up: all others have, more or less, failed us. *[©R.Kanth 2018] * -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens