Checked vs. Unchecked Resourcefulness: Comparing Sustainability in the Wilderness with The Human World

Abstract

The global impact of climate change on planetary health is usually quantified in terms of an increase in CO2 levels since our widespread use of fossil fuels. The corresponding temperature rise “of less than 2C” is understood as a planetary tipping point value. However, by comparing a pre-industrial- with a post-industrial human world, we confine our point of view to a very narrow band of geological time. This study aims to explore a more comprehensive correlation and provide a more relatable perspective. In its first part, the research investigates ecosystem energy flows and biomass transfers in a human-free world. It categorizes all species into one of three broad groups: producers, decomposers, and consumers. By analyzing the traits of a multitude of species of all groups in several example ecosystems, it shows how a human-free world is inherently interdependent. It shows how each species’ checked resourcefulness bounds ecosystems free of human interference to slow change. By regarding life without us, we can see clearly how humans are different. Part two of the study introduces us humans. It examines how we were able to free ourselves from the bounds of species’ interdependence and how we were able to finally construct our own food webs—unchecked resourcefulness. This big-picture analysis unites all humans in their predicament. It hopes to show in a relatable fashion how fundamentally we undermine our own resilience—far beyond temperature rise. It presents a generalized, globally valid outlook as to how we can reinstall our sustainability and planetary health.