This is somewhat part of a theory I have read some about and was wondering what some of you electric enthusiasts might think. The earth has a magnetic field with north and south poles and a magnetic field, just like an electromagnet. Some say with the use of electrical transmission lines and other forms of electricity, that we are interfering with this magnetic field and causing all kinds of problems. From health issues to who knows what. I myself am not sure on this matter. I guess if I were an naturalist I might believe that any type of man made science could interfere with the natural design of things, on the other hand some people believe that man himself has interfered with the earth in such a way as to ruin it, such as in the issue of Global Warming, so if this is indeed true, shouldn't man eliminate himself. The earth might be a whole lot better place to live for all the other animals.

 

shouldn't man eliminate himself. The earth might be a whole lot better place to live for all the other animals.

THAT's a good idea!! Any volonteers?

All kinds of things are being said, and unless you are a specialized scientist in one of the involved areas it's impossible to say how the human is really affecting the environment.

One thing is true, we are producing too much waste, but when all ressources are gone you could start to recycle. There may not be enough water for everyone, but then they take it from the sea.
If electromagnetic fields the way we are using them is affecting our health or not, who knows? The researches they (who exactly?) have conducted don't seem to confirm this idea. Some scientists say Global Warming caused by man doesn't exist, others say it does.
In the end nature will always win and in the very end earth won't last forever anyway.

 

... shouldn't man eliminate himself...

YOU first. If things improve I PROMISE to do myself next.

 

Yeah! Excellent idea. I'm next, after you two!

The idea of our power grid affecting the earths magnetic field is a bit ludicrous, you did not get that from any serious science source. Frankly, it like comparing a pimple on a blue whale, you have no concept of the power levels involved and the size of the earth.

I tend to think in terms of us being Gaia's gonads, we are the mechanism by which the lifeforms on earth will spread through the rest of the universe. And you want to neuter Gaia. I'd watch your back, Goddess's have no sense of humor.

 

The operative word is "sustainable". Is humanity sustainable? Something is sustainable if it can last forever. But we know that's not possible. We know that our sun is going to burn out at some point. Humans will be gone long before that happens.

So we have to redefine sustainability to include the question of time. How much longer will humans continue to live on planet Earth? Will there be an early collapse within the next 500 years instead of humanity lasting for 500 thousand years if we were smarter?

Let us not worry about planet Earth. It will take care of itself, thank you. We are the enemy. We are accelerating our own demise. We squabble among ourselves fighting for the best lounge chair on deck while the ship goes down.

 

It's not the humans, it's the aliens doing it to Earth.

 

when water stops running downhill, we'll know that we've countered the laws of nature that allow us to exist, but even then, imagine the opportunities that would open up for our explotation. Our real challenge in my mind is that as a species, we are not 'fit' enough to overcome the onslaught of virilant infection. At some point, an infectious agent will sweep through the worlds populace at a rate we will fail to understand. Like a latent computer virus, the infectious period may go without detection until incubation is complete, and we awake with a new destiny.

 

As there can never be an unnatural selection process at work, animals need to adapt to us, or die.

So far the single celled ones seem to be doing this quite well.

 

The earth might be a whole lot better place to live for all the other animals.

The earth will be fine and the other animals will be fine. When we talk about man screwing up the earth, we are really talking about man screwing up the earth for himself. The number of animals that have gone extinct in history far exceeds the number of animals on earth now. So, whatever little bit man does to cause other animals to go extinct is in the noise levels. Really we are part of the ecosystem anyway, so why isolate what we do from what nature does? They are one in the same.

If you look at the history of life on earth you will see cataclysms that dwarf any harm man could ever do, and that includes significant things like nuclear winter or global warming. Consider that meteor collisions have vaporized the surface of the earth a couple of times. Volcanic activity like calderas have wiped life out on a global scale. Ice ages have come and gone. There was even a time that the atmosphere was a poisonous gas to any animal alive today, and life flourished anyway. etc. etc. etc.

We will be the primary species that suffers from our stupidity. A few others will be colateral damage. Most others will adapt to the changes, and the ecosystem and the planet will be just fine in the long term. Humans are simply an insignificant perturbation in the history of life on the earth. It is only our self-centered nature and arrogance that blinds us to that fact.