Is earth beyond saving?

Question

There are billions of people living on earth.
There are literally hundreds of religions.
People speak many different languages.

Medicine is increasing the length of time we live.
We use more power, oil, & natural resources than ever.
More pollution exists because of more people.

Farmers have to grow ever more on ever less lands.
Over farming is destroying some areas.
Masses of people are starving.

There are more wars and fights.
People are losing control (of their sex)
Natural disasters seem to be increasing.

Information overload is rampant everywhere these days.
Fear is causing many to have heart attacks.
We used vaccines on so many healthy people, that when someone actually gets sick and needs it, the germs have upgraded to resist it.

Does anyone think we can last much longer than 5 more years?
How long do you think we will last and why?
Is the earth already past saving?

Answer 1

not in theory but the lack of human cooperation and warlike behaviour makes it very doubtfull
see my answer on global warming
and somethong on overpopulation .i am afraidd that i may repeat myself between the two as well as mentioning details you already are aware of

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

WATERSHORTAGE,OVERPOPULATION,a... food production

each year 70 million more people are consuming water but this is ,but a small part of what agriculture uses.

so our consumption of water is ever increasing and our drinkable water supply is shrinking because of polution ,and the production of potable water is less all the time because of deforestation. E
people useand need land,so more and more is being changed to accomodate human growth and devellopment

the necessary biomass ,which permits life as we know it, is disappearing.

We must learn to live with the trees without them, we are vulnerable to the forces from space,

leaving us to burn during the day or freeze in the nights. Without water , food and air.

Eco-systems are being exchanged for desserts , concrete or roads.

An environmentally destructive wave is in motion, caused by expanding populations.

World population has doubled in the last 50 years exceeding the growth of 4 million years (since we became homo sapiens).
To satisfy the growing demand farmers are cultivating unstable lands , too steep or dry to be sustainable.


Mono cultures ,aided by chemicals Exhaust and pollutes the soil .
Adding to this the effects of overgrazing has resulted in large scale desertification.

Each year billions of tons of topsoil are blown or washed away by storms.

Arable lands and their farms are lost all over the globe. Many farmers sons abandon farming and head for the cities.

Northern China is drying up, what once were millions of food producing people,

are now hungry refugees ,running for their lives from the all consuming dust storms.

This will have a great effect on world food prices when they start buying at what ever cost, to feed their people.

Africa and Asia are loosing millions of people to AIDS , many of whom were food producers.

The farmers that are left have to feed some 70 million more people than the year before but with less topsoil.

Over the last half century,
Population growth & rising incomes have tripled world grain demand from 640 million tons to 1,855 million

In the near future the global farming community will not be able to feed every body ,food prices will continue to rise

Answer 2

I have heard this same question 35 years ago , only in a different format and I am sure those concerned then still has no answer now. My answer is : we are too small to figure out the future of the earth and humankind, maybe we will be gone when the question is realized so I think the best to do is make the most of the time we have left, be concerned with other people's rights, love one another instead of all the misfortunes you just mentioned.

Answer 3

The planet is Fine always has been always will. WE, on the other hand are possibly up Sh**t creek without a paddle. People use phrases about us 'ruining the planet', 'destroying the earth' etc, but this earth continually goes through cycles of heat and cold (ice ages and desertification), volcanic activity, floods etc .Thess processes are what create the very land masses we walk upon. Almost every species alive today could be wiped out and the planet would still eventually repopulate itself. The question is whether humans will maintain as part of that future population . The planet is just fine. Its our position on the planet which is in doubt

Answer 4

By your criteria the Earth was probably past saving about 250,000,000 years ago. Barring a true planet buster, the Earth probably will last a million times longer than you will. It is entirely plausible that humanity as a whole will last that long as well. Sometime when you're feeling really important, divide the Earth's diameter by your height. It helps to impart a little perspective.