Unfortunately for nature we’re like cockroaches. You can kill the majority of humans with a big enough asteroid, but actually wiping us out while persevering vertebrate life is a tall order. Hell it was a tall order before we even got out of the paleolithic.
Nothing will be here in a billion years. Setting aside the fact that no species lasts that long anyway, Earth only has a few hundred million years of habitability left, if “nature” has its way. The sun’s steadily brightening as it ages and tectonic processes are causing changes in Earth’s atmosphere that will eventually prevent photosynthesis from operating, at which point Earth become the domain of a few hardy strains of bacteria again.
That is, unless humans (or our very distant descendants) decide to do some meddling to keep Earth alive. There’s various ways to do that, from solar shields reducing the solar influx to moving Earth’s orbit farther out to stripping material from the Sun itself to moderate its output.
“Gaia” has no foresight. She will sorely miss humanity’s technological descendants once the planet gets in that situation, there’s nothing she can do about it herself.
There were things here a billion years ago. There will be things a billion years from now.
No, there really won’t be. The Sun is getting brighter as it ages, in just a few hundred million years Earth will either cook to death or every single molecule of carbon dioxide will have to be taken out of the atmosphere to counteract the effect. Either way photosynthesis ends at that point.
Unless something technological intervenes.
Also, a billion years ago the only “things” that were around were bacteria. The Cambrian explosion didn’t happen until 530 million years ago.
Humanity is a blip that will be forgotten.
Unless our descendants are still around, which they could easily be. Humanity doesn’t need Earth to survive long-term. The reverse is not true.
Yes, to continue this argument please read above, then once you reach this comment, once again read above. Continue to do so until the extinction of humanity.
I’m saying even humans with the ability to make pottery were able to survive in niches that our pests can’t even survive in, from the desert to the artic. We outcompete everything even without industrial technology and can survive on some pretty crazy diets. Invertebrate life could survive an extinction event that wipes us out, but I can’t imagine any vertebrate doing so (including the ocean ones).
I suppose from the perspective of misanthropes it’s unfortunate, but I discount the opinions of misanthropes.
How is it unfortunate for nature? We’re part of nature. In the long term humanity is nature’s best mechanism for enduring long term, since eventually Earth is going to become uninhabitable due to the Sun’s aging process.
This is the whole crux of the comic that I see so many people, even in this thread, misunderstanding. Nature isn’t some “out there” thing, or even something we “emerged” from. There is no emerging! This is it. Me on my phone eating a second veggie dog while scrolling on my phone is part of nature. You reading it - also nature.
Yes, well that’s tautological, isn’t it? Nature is everything, so everything is nature. What’s the point of having the word if it doesn’t carry any meaning?
Unfortunately for nature we’re like cockroaches. You can kill the majority of humans with a big enough asteroid, but actually wiping us out while persevering vertebrate life is a tall order. Hell it was a tall order before we even got out of the paleolithic.
Are we? We haven’t been around that long enough relative to the planet. We won’t be here in another billion years.
Nothing will be here in a billion years. Setting aside the fact that no species lasts that long anyway, Earth only has a few hundred million years of habitability left, if “nature” has its way. The sun’s steadily brightening as it ages and tectonic processes are causing changes in Earth’s atmosphere that will eventually prevent photosynthesis from operating, at which point Earth become the domain of a few hardy strains of bacteria again.
That is, unless humans (or our very distant descendants) decide to do some meddling to keep Earth alive. There’s various ways to do that, from solar shields reducing the solar influx to moving Earth’s orbit farther out to stripping material from the Sun itself to moderate its output.
“Gaia” has no foresight. She will sorely miss humanity’s technological descendants once the planet gets in that situation, there’s nothing she can do about it herself.
There were things here a billion years ago. There will be things a billion years from now.
Humanity is a blip that will be forgotten.
No, there really won’t be. The Sun is getting brighter as it ages, in just a few hundred million years Earth will either cook to death or every single molecule of carbon dioxide will have to be taken out of the atmosphere to counteract the effect. Either way photosynthesis ends at that point.
Unless something technological intervenes.
Also, a billion years ago the only “things” that were around were bacteria. The Cambrian explosion didn’t happen until 530 million years ago.
Unless our descendants are still around, which they could easily be. Humanity doesn’t need Earth to survive long-term. The reverse is not true.
Self centered human.
Yes, that’s the original idea I made the comment to.
Glad you are self aware.
Yes, to continue this argument please read above, then once you reach this comment, once again read above. Continue to do so until the extinction of humanity.
I’m saying even humans with the ability to make pottery were able to survive in niches that our pests can’t even survive in, from the desert to the artic. We outcompete everything even without industrial technology and can survive on some pretty crazy diets. Invertebrate life could survive an extinction event that wipes us out, but I can’t imagine any vertebrate doing so (including the ocean ones).
Self centered human.
I don’t know about you, but I sure won’t be
Don’t wanna be around now, a billion years may as well be hell.
I’ll take your spot if you don’t want it.
Welcome to hell!
We were the one bipedal line out of 7 or more, that only almost died out. We are made to be more adaptable.
“We’re a virus with shoes.” – Bill Hicks
“Humanity survives adversity well” is not not something I would think of as “unfortunate.”
Unfortunately for nature but depending on your perspective it’s unfortunate for humans as well
I suppose from the perspective of misanthropes it’s unfortunate, but I discount the opinions of misanthropes.
How is it unfortunate for nature? We’re part of nature. In the long term humanity is nature’s best mechanism for enduring long term, since eventually Earth is going to become uninhabitable due to the Sun’s aging process.
This is the whole crux of the comic that I see so many people, even in this thread, misunderstanding. Nature isn’t some “out there” thing, or even something we “emerged” from. There is no emerging! This is it. Me on my phone eating a second veggie dog while scrolling on my phone is part of nature. You reading it - also nature.
Yes, well that’s tautological, isn’t it? Nature is everything, so everything is nature. What’s the point of having the word if it doesn’t carry any meaning?
Got to call the world as we see it by some name
We already have plenty. The universe. Reality. Existence. Creation. The world, as you said. What does the word nature bring to the table?
Fun fact: the Oxygen Catastrophe wasn’t a one-time event. It happened repeatedly in waves until life finally evolved a way to use the Oxygen.
When humans emerge from their bunkers, they’ll quickly rediscover nuclear weapons and greenhouse pollution.