BBC: "Humanity is the Greatest Challenge" - a must read article

[GliderGuider]

This is an article by the American ecology/population writer Dr. John Feeney. He runs a blog called "Growth is Madness" and is one of the more coherent and thoughtful writers tackling the multifaceted problems of growth these days.

This piece is one of the very best I've read at describing the box humanity is in, couched in clear, comprehensive, gentle yet uncompromising terms. It's not long (900 words or so), but it packs an enormous punch. It needs to be read by absolutely everyone.

We humans face two problems of desperate importance. The first is our global ecological plight. The second is our difficulty acknowledging the first.

Despite increasing climate change coverage, environmental writers remain reluctant to discuss the full scope and severity of the global dilemma we've created. Many fear sounding alarmist, but there is an alarm to sound and the time for reticence is over.

We've outgrown the planet and need radical action to avert unspeakable consequences. This - by a huge margin - has become humanity's greatest challenge.

If we've altered the climate, it should come as no surprise that we have damaged other natural systems. From deforestation to collapsing fisheries, desertification, the global spread of chemical toxins, ocean dead zones, and the death of coral reefs, an array of interrelated declines is evidence of the breadth of our impact.

Add the depletion of finite resources such as oil and ground-water, and the whole of the challenge upon us emerges.

Barring decisive action, we are marching, heads down, toward global ecological collapse.

Read the whole thing, including an amazing string of comments that are 99% along the lines of, "Finally someone said it!"