ENERGY, ECOLOGY, EXPONENTIAL GROWTH, ENTROPY, EVOLUTION
INTRODUCTION
The outer shell of planet Earth and all of its inhabitants are in an existential crisis. The natural world, which includes all vegetative, animal, and human life as well as the land, water, and air within which life exists, is changing more rapidly than at any time in recent geologic history. Without doubt these changes are but a blip in the existence of the planet; the natural world may well continue for further billions of years. However, the continued existence of many forms of life that are present today is not likely. And more importantly, the continued existence of human society as it is now experienced is likely to collapse within a very short time compared to the lifespan of civilized societies, let alone of the human animal.
From reading newspapers, listening to most of the sounds and images available over the internet, and viewing television one would not get an idea of the magnitude of the crises that the planet now faces. It is true that increasing numbers of people have begun to be aware of the implications of global climate change and of some of its ramifications. But, with few exceptions, our political, economic, social, cultural, and religious leaders have scarcely addressed the major existential issues of our time. Instead they speak of jobs and national economies, of guns and nuclear bombs, of personal and national security, of democracy and oppression, of human rights and famines, of local disasters and election politics, of personal problems and sectarian religious beliefs, of religious strife, and forced immigration These issues and many more important aspects of contemporary life dominate the news, our daily thoughts, public discussion, and our personal plans and memories. I don’t see how it can be otherwise, for sure, as long as our leaders, major institutions, and our world views do not understand the basic facts of how humans have come to live on Earth.
As a start at understanding the present predicament of planet Earth, I suggest that every middle and high school student should become versed in five essential physical facts of contemporary existence– Energy, Ecology, Exponential Growth, Entropy, and Evolution. Of course every university student, every teacher, every politician, journalist, pundit, economist, philosopher, religious leader should be aware of these truths of existence. I emphasize that the fifth-grader is most important because he or she is not yet burdened with the ideas that have dominated our education and cultures for so long and which divert attention from the fundamentals that underpin our very existence today.
All life is based on the flow of energy through the unimaginably complex interactions and interconnections of global ecology. Within global ecology, humans, especially through their recent command of the energy released from fossil fuels, have consumed and converted the material and organic world in increasing amounts. As a result not only energy but also population, goods, services, and pollution have grown at exponential rates. Entropy with its dissipation of energy and with the dis-aggregation and disruption of both material and organic forms, has resulted in extinction of many species and the course on evolution.
Without knowledge of these Five ‘E’s, humankind will continue on its current destructive ways, the results of which will lead to long term, radical changes in social, economic, and political systems, possibly even to the very existence of the human species.
