ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY

ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY


I have become a complete skeptic in regard to environmental issues. I believe that humans are about to, or already have, exceeded the carrying capacity of the planet. This is result of over population in a large part of the world and an unsustainable standard of living in the remainder. As with alcoholism or drug addiction we will have to hit bottom before changes are made. It may be too late. The planet will survive. Perhaps cockroaches will become the dominant life form. Homo sapiens are the threatened and endangered species.

The Mayans are a case in point. Their slash and agriculture was initially very successful. It permitted them to develop a complex society with a dense population. Slash and burn agriculture requires clearing of new land as soils loose there productivity. Inevitably arable land became scarce. This resulted in wars and the eventual extinction of their civilization and culture. Now, 500 years later, we are finding remnants of that civilization over grown by jungle. The Mayan culture simply exceeded the carrying capacity of the Yucatan Peninsula.