How can men over 50 survive the 6th mass extinction that has already started?
I belong to the Baby Boomer generation and I have experienced one of the greatest changes in human history.
I have been able to get a great education, witness great medical and health discoveries, partake in great working opportunities and also have experienced and seen incredible wild and natural parks. But today, scientists have raised the alarm that we may have started the 6th mass extinction for our planet to live on.
Elizabeth Kolbert, who wrote a Pulitzer prize winning non-fiction “The Sixth Extinction”, discusses the imminent danger of our planet and potentially our human species.
Now, the problem with this kind of phenomena is that the result may take years if not decades to be fully understood by humans. By then, 100’s of animals, fishes, insects, birds will have already disappeared.
With this sixth mass extinction, the process is different from its predecessors that were caused by natural disasters like massive volcanic activity, meteorites hitting the planet… this one is unique because it was started by human activities.
Approximately 200 years ago, there was a demographic explosion and a major change in our model of consumption, particularly in the areas of food processing and the extraction process (oil, gas) from our natural environment.
We have distanced ourselves from nature by creating and moving into urban environments and it is considered a great human achievement as it has allowed the population to be better fed, housed, educated. However, the concentration of people doesn’t leave space for nature and humans have been slowly losing their connection to a bigger system. A system which has so far built the ideal conditions for humans to live in harmony with the other species.
At the same time, it has created a destructive system of extraction of natural resources and creating commodities out of everything.
So how do men over 50 and counting, be a part of the solution? We must act.
I have read, researched and investigated a lot and informed myself on all these issues at hand. I chose to act and I have slowly changed my lifestyle in order to be a part of the solution and not aggravating the situation.
For example, I transitioned slowly from eating everything to becoming a vegetarian and now a vegan.
I equipped my house with solar panels for my hot water and electricity.
I stopped eating processed food.
I reduced my use of plastic. I weighed my plastic consumption to see my progress.
I began using fabrics that are locally made with a low ecological footprint.
And the list goes on.
I want my grandchildren to be proud of me and remember me as someone who left them with a world as rich and fulfilling as I have known it to be. It is the Holy Grail of our future : Nature.