From 8000 BC to 1650 AD human population went from 10,000,000 to 500 million, then, in a 350 year heartbeat, to over SIX BILLION in the present, growing by over 100 million every year. The impact of a bio-mass of humanity this great is enormous. It changes weather patterns, pollutes oceans and rivers, destroys rainforests, and precipitated the greatest mass extinction of living things ince the age of dinosaurs.
Nevertheless, in relation to the total length of our stay on the planet, this devistation is taking place in the blink of an eye, and shows no real sign of slowing. What's going on? It may well be that UNLIMITED GROWTH & DESTRUCTIVE DOMINATION of the environment is INTRINSICALLY part of the novel way of life we have so recently adopted. Perhaps there is no possibility of halting this destructive growth within the dynamics of this Way.
Finding other Ways to follow that are more in harmony with the fragile realities of our home planet is certainly the most important challenge the human race has ever faced.
So what do we do now?
"Civilizations are not terminals but wayside camps, pitched at sunset and broken at dawn so that they can travel on again."
--Laurens van der Post
