The End? Science, conservation, and social justice as necessary tools for preventing the otherwise inevitable human extinction?

Abstract

Humans have reached a point where we must take action or face our own decline, if not extinction. We possess technologies that have been inducing changes in the climate of our planet in ways that threaten to at very least displace large portions of the human race, as well as weapons capable of eliminating millions and rendering large swaths of the Earth uninhabitable. Similarly, emerging technologies raise new threats along with new possibilities. Finally, external world-threatening events (e.g. oncoming asteroids) remain an ever-present option for human extinction. A business-as-usual paradigm, where competitive nations care little for the environment and social justice is all too often constrained by those in power, makes one of these outcomes inevitable. Examples are drawn from science fiction as well as the scientific literature to illustrate several of the various possible paths to self-destruction and make them more relatable. Arguably, a progressive set of environmental and social policies, including a more collaborative international community, are critical components of avoiding a catastrophic end to the human race.