[ExI] Apocalypse Soon: Has Civilization Passed the Environmental Point of No Return?

[BillK]

On Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 6:34 PM, spike  wrote:
> Ja, and the way it often comes across is that we are doomed even if we do
> exactly as the person says, because they were telling us we were at the
> point of no return some time ago.  So, OK then, no return it is.  Forward we
> go.  Let us look at the changes coming and deal with them.  We can deal with
> them, even if we cannot maintain the current climate indefinitely.  Climate
> change will not kill everyone nor every beast and every change will not
> necessarily be a bad thing.
>
>


I don't think these scientists are complaining just about climate change.

They seem to be worried that humanity is having an overwhelming effect
on the planet.
Species are dying out at an incredible rate. We are in the middle of
one of the great die-off periods in the history of the planet.  Fresh
water shortages are approaching, quite separate from the droughts and
floods related to climate change. Other resource shortages are likely
to be a problem for the next generation.

There is another report here from Stanford University, published in
Nature magazine.
<http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/june/earth-tipping-point-060712.html>

We are not talking about a quick fix for one town (New Orleans still
isn't fixed). This is a worldwide problem. The fear is that the damage
will accumulate into a landslide of problems that becomes overwhelming
and causes a large die-off in humanity as well.

These reports are not just 'doom and gloom'. They are pointing out
that funny noise in the engine that needs attention before the car
stops completely.

BillK