Mother earth, bloated and burgeoning

You know it’s coming, right? Something big, something catastrophic. The world is about to change, and in a big way. Let’s not pretend like it’s not there, staring us in the face, waiting for the right moment.

Maybe I’ve seen too many apocalyptic and dystopian tv shows and movies, but at the same time, you have to wonder if the recent and growing plethora of these genres in the current mainstream is humanity’s subconscious trying to prepare us for it? Why are there so many different shows/movies about the end of the world—or at least the end of civilized society as we know it? Zombie apocalypses, worldwide viral epidemics, asteroids, alien invasions, nuclear war, catastrophic weather events, earthquakes, floods, raging wildfires, solar flares.  

Simply put, the planet cannot survive the human race as we currently exist. I think of my own “carbon footprint,” and feel just damn guilty—and I’m even one of those honestly trying to reduce said footprint. Yet some folks don’t even care one iota—and still even others are actively trying to promote disinformation that would lead us to believe that there is nothing to worry about at all!

Speaking of carbon footprints, let’s take a moment to think about the number of these footprints there are—or, more importantly, the number of footprints there will be. Check out this short video about the history of world population. Note what happens at the :50 mark—the Industrial Revolution. Or, as we might start to think of it: the beginning of the end.

So, in 1800 the world population was 1 billion.

And in 2019? 7 billion.

Think about that for just a minute.  

Here is the current UN forecast for population growth:

2050 - 9.8 billion

2100 – 11.2 billion

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starting to wonder if there’s going to be enough room for all these folks. And, more importantly: is there going to be enough water? Enough food? These questions are exacerbated when you think of the heat/drought/displacement staring humanity down in some of the most populous regions of the world. What happens when a place like India becomes uninhabitable due to continual and increasing record-breaking heat waves, water shortages and crop decimation? Where do we put those 1.3 billion people?? Or Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for close to 15% of the world’s population? Where will they go? (A question seriously compounded by the current global xenophobic backlash we are facing.)

Let’s face it: World War 3 ultimately won’t be about terrorists. It’s going to be about water. (Which, by the way, we are actively and constantly polluting, devoid of care or concern.)

But let’s not fool ourselves. It probably won’t even come to that. Mother Earth will never allow us to destroy her. She loves us and nurtures us. She supports us. But, when humanity gets too big for its britches, she will even things out. Nature always has a way of correcting itself, does it not?

Now I obviously don’t believe that a zombie apocalypse is going to occur. But if you think this planet—and we the people—are exempt from any and all possibilities of impending catastrophic events, then I’ve got a nice bridge I’d like to sell to you. We could talk about several different scenarios, but for brevity’s sake, let’s just focus on climate change (even though some morons don’t even believe it’s happening—as they continue to pulverize the environment with impunity, all for the sake of further lining their pockets with gold).

Right now, in just the recent weeks, I’ve seen the following news headlines:

·      UK weather latest: Met Office issues 'danger to life' warning over flooding as month's rain set to fall in six hours

·      Record-breaking heat sets in across West Coast

·      Tropical downpours unleash more than 12 inches over flood-weary south-central US

·      Extreme weather in 2018 was a raging, howling signal of climate change

·      Freak hailstorm buries Guadalajara, Mexico in 3 feet of ice (note: in July, a mere 1400 miles from the equator!)

·      A giant heat dome over Alaska is set to threaten all-time temperature records

·      California experienced back-to-back earthquakes. Here’s what to expect next.

·      June was the warmest June ever recorded, but there’s a bigger problem

·      ‘Breaking’ the heat index: US heat waves to skyrocket as globe warms, study suggests

·      California’s wildfires are 500 percent larger due to climate change

As best I can tell, our scientists, politicians, and environmentalists have been talking about global warming now for the better part of half a century. Obviously, early mentions of this issue aren’t immediately sounding a clarion call—but it has unquestionably now become a matter of the utmost importance, even to the point where some politicians now call this the highest matter of national security. And yet . . . and yet . . . too many of those in power—politicians, pin-striped bosses, bankers, wheelers and dealers—continue to perpetuate outright lies. Simply for the sake of their own security. Future generations be damned. All that matters right now is ME and MY comfort.

 

In the end, we run out of room. Simply put, there isn’t enough space for our accelerating, exponential population growth, compounded by humanity’s collective carbon footprint. The world will eventually be filled to the brim with bags of cat shit, plastic, garbage, and graves. Either that, or Mother Nature will intervene and sort things out for us, since we’re obviously running on autopilot now, about to go careening over a cliff.

In the meantime, I hope you’ve been picking up some pointers from all those apocalyptic shows on how to survive. Seems the couch potatoes and TV junkies might be the winners after all is said and done. So, pass the popcorn!