If you are scientifically inclined and if you believe that humans are the root of all destruction and that the idea of saving the Earth stems from this narrative, perhaps I can offer a different perspective in just a few minutes of discussion.
Through the method of 'radiometric dating', we analyze ancient geological rocks and cosmic objects, like meteorites, and have determined that the Earth is approximately 4.54 billion years old. 4.54 billion years is a significant span of time. But how long have humans been living on Earth?
To simplify, if you compare the time since Earth's creation to one year, with the Earth's creation on January 1, life on Earth first emerged around February-March. The evolution of the first complex organisms happened much later, almost towards November. The dinosaurs, as you’ve heard of, appeared around December 26. But when did humans appear?
By this calculation, human habitation on Earth began on December 31 at 11:58 PM. The history of human civilization, including written history, agriculture, or the Industrial Revolution, began after 11:59 PM. In other words, humans have only been on Earth for a very short period of time. But in this brief period, look at how much has changed! Numerous studies have shown that in this small time span, countless species have gone extinct. Many scientists have named this new age the Anthropocene due to the impact of human activities.
Now, the current era we live in began around 11,700 years ago, and this widely accepted age is called the Holocene. During Earth's journey, it has been divided into different epochs. The cold, calm Earth we see today was not always like this. For most of Earth's history, it was a hot and inhospitable place. The transition between cold and hot periods has not happened only once, but the Earth has alternated between warming and cooling over time. The global warming we fear today is nothing compared to the heat Earth experienced in earlier periods.
Can we solely blame humans for mass extinctions? Before answering this, let’s look at some historical facts.
Long before humans arrived, Earth had already witnessed five mass extinctions. The first, around 445 million years ago, was the Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction, in which approximately 85% of marine species were wiped out due to changes in ocean temperatures. Then, around 375-360 million years ago, the Devonian extinction occurred, where 75% of marine species vanished. Scientists believe this extinction was caused by the extensive spread of plants and volcanic eruptions altering the environment.
Next, around 252 million years ago, the Permian extinction took place, wiping out 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species. This was the most catastrophic mass extinction, caused by massive volcanic eruptions and dramatic climate shifts. About 201 million years ago, the Triassic-Jurassic extinction wiped out 80% of species, mainly due to climate warming.
Finally, around 66 million years ago, the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, along with 75% of all species. Scientists believe the main causes were a massive asteroid impact, volcanic eruptions, and environmental changes.
Now, the question is: Is human activity solely responsible for climate change?
Honestly, it is not logical to blame humans alone. Climate change has many causes, and the Earth's climate would have changed even without human presence.
The Earth is part of a vast system where various natural processes occur. Sometimes it remains stable, while at other times it becomes unstable. To simplify, if we compare Earth to a forest, wind will blow, storms will occur, the forest will be damaged, and then it will regenerate. But sometimes the damage is so severe that it alters the entire environment.
Even without human involvement, Earth has many feedback loops that cause changes. For example, when temperatures rise, polar ice melts. The ice used to reflect sunlight, but as it melts, the darker ocean absorbs more heat, causing further ice melt and an increase in temperature. In other words, climate change happens naturally, but human activities have significantly accelerated this process.
But don’t humans have a responsibility?
The pace of change on Earth has increased the most since the Industrial Revolution. The real debate isn’t whether the Earth would have changed without human actions. Rather, the changes that would have come naturally much later are now occurring much earlier because of human behavior. Who is most affected by this?
It's difficult to answer directly. But definitely, humans are paying a heavy price.
Humans’ tolerance for change is much lower than that of many other species. There are many species of animals and plants that can survive in extreme environmental conditions. But our civilization has not evolved this way. Therefore, these environmental changes pose a threat to our survival. Maybe we are not going to be extinct immediately, but the pressure is increasing!
Moreover, we are rational—we can understand truth and falsehood, justice and injustice. If others are harmed even minimally, can we avoid that responsibility? Given the knowledge, technology, and capabilities we have, will they only be used for our own benefit? Or should we also consider the welfare of the larger world and other living beings?
The decision now is yours—will you protect the environment only for yourself, or will you think of the greater world of life?
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