The Role of Human Beings in relation to the Bio-Sphere of the Earth
The role and effect of humans can be established by examining several ratios.
Humanity as Species Described
Humans are 1 out of 1,899,587 described species on the planet Earth as of 2012
Source: Wikipedia and Pennak, Sara; International Institute for Species Exploration 2012.
"State of observed species: A decade of species discovery in review"
Arizona State University.
Humans are 1 species out of 8,700,000 estimated species on the planet Earth.
Insects are 9.9 million species discovered and undiscovered
Animals are 7.77 million species (12% described)
Fungi are 0.61 million species (7% described)
Plants are 0.30 million species (70% described)
Protozoa are 0.04 million species (22% described)
Chromists are 0.03 million species (50% described)
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14616161
Humans are only a fraction of the species on Earth.
Humanity as Dominant Earth Species
Insects are the dominant animal species on earth.
Compared to the 7 Billion humans there are estimated to be 10 quintillion. 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 insects on Earth.
Compared to the human average population ratio of 1 to 7,000,000,000 the Insect average population is 1 to 333,333,333,333 almost 50 times more.
Source: http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/bugnos.htm
Humans are not the highest number or density of population species on the Earth.
Humanity as Dominant Species Sub Group
Mammals make up about 0.2% of the species on Earth
Mammals are made up of 5488 species
Source:IUCN Global protection team
Mammals include only 1 species of human.
Source: Wikipedia and "Initiatives:Mammals". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. IUCN.
"Initiatives:Mammals:Acknowledgements". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. IUCN.
Humans are only a fraction of the mammalian sub-group of the total species on Earth.
Humanity as Chemical Production and Process
The atmosphere, seas, land, organic and inorganic sinks of the Earth contain all the chemicals that create it and are created by it.
The Water Cycle, Carbon Cycle and Nitrogen Cycle dominate the chemical processes including those that create life.
Humans are not the main chemical production and processes on Earth.
Humanity as habitat colonization
Plants form the ecology of land colonization by species variety over different temperatures, geologies and terrains.
Humans are not the main colonizer of the Earth.
Humans as Self Deceivers
Humans are unique in that they have learnt to distort sensory inputs for the purpose of enhancing communication.
They have learnt representation, abstraction, three dimensional representation and the creation of completely abstract environments. They call this art.
The more they have done this the less able they are to extract the real from their art.
The outcome has been a self deception as to their role on the planet Earth.
They see themselves as dominant because they have conquered; through their use of technology; the other species of life, the other geology, the geography and environments of Earth.
They fail to see that they are a minor, niche species, on the Earth.
They are self critical. Not for preservation but for publicity and display.
They have deceived themselves that they were invincible. That humanity was safe. That it would last as a species and go on to conquer other worlds in the Universe.
They have been stopped in this self deception by their acknowledgement of three issues.
First the fossil fuels humans use as fuels produce greenhouse gases that are altering the climate of the planet and making it inhospitable to life.
Secondly humans have to stop using fossil fuels in order to reduce the effects of climate change.
Thirdly by reducing and then stopping their use of fossil fuels humans will face a fuel shortage that will threaten their technological progression and then their ability to survive the changes to the climate.
These changes will take place between 2013 and 2050.
Humans have to learn how to survive again with less energy, less resources, less technology each year to survive the environment.
The Role of Humanity in relation to the Bio-sphere of the planet Earth
The role of humanity must therefore be currently not to save the planets local environment or indeed to safe guard the future of the Earth or to save any plant, animal, or geological resource. These are beyond the control of humans since humans are a minor part of the Bio-sphere on the Earth.
The Earth will have to endure and so will all of the species on it.
The role of humanity is to solve its energy, resource and environmental depletion problem without manufacturing.
Therefore as a species humanity has to survive first.
Then like any other species it must organize, metabolize, achieve homeostasis, adapt, respond, reproduce, grow, maintain, die and be recycled
Ian K Whittaker
Websites:
https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles
Email: iankwhittaker@gmail.com
02/11/2013
14/10/2020
788 words over 2 pages