I am having a bit of a problem understanding environmentalism, can someone help?

Question

In the 4.5 Billion years of the Earth's existence, the planet has seen huge disasters over and over for millions of years. Many of them ending almost all animal life on Earth, with the exception, of bacteria and some bugs....over and over. Asteroid Collisions, Radical Climate Change, reversal of the poles, and other c**p like that. But, over millions of years, complex life evolves and thives again....and is then destroyed. But, it comes back yet again millions of years later, evolving from the most basic life forms on Earth. The atmosphere is also recycled and repaired after millions of years of recovery since the initial disaster. As long as those microscopic organisms exist, complex life can flourish on Earth for Billions of yrs more. How do we pose a risk to thos tiny little things? Life on this planet is quite resilient, don't you think? So how are humans going to prevent life from existing billions of yrs from now, when we are long, long, long, long gone?

Answer 1

The earth is very resilient, and one of it's best features is the ability to change, i.e., species can adapt genetically, air and water currents regulate temperature, etc.  This is the first time in billions of years, though, that a species is having an impact on the earth's ability to sustain itself.  The earth will survive us, but life as we know it will change, and we could be the ones bringing about this change (and it could mean disaster for many species).  Nothing will be the same, but environmentalists try to keep the balance as it is.  You can think this is good and help, or accept that these things will change and let it happen.  The earth will adapt.

Answer 2

You are not the only one trying to understand the complex world we live in.

NASA completed a "Clean Air Plant Study" several  years ago.  

http://www.zone10.com/tech/NASA/Fyh.htm

"Common indoor plants may provide a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. Those plants in your office or home are not only decorative, but NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings."

"NASA research has consistently shown that living, green and flowering plants can remove several toxic chemicals from the air in building interiors. You can use plants in your home or office to improve the quality of the air to make it a more pleasant place to live and work - where people feel better, perform better, any enjoy life more."

TOP 10 plants most effective in removing: formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air.

Common Name - Scientific Name  

Bamboo Palm - Chamaedorea Seifritzii  

Chinese Evergreen - Aglaonema Modestum  

English Ivy - Hedera Helix

Gerbera Daisy - Gerbera Jamesonii

Janet Craig - Dracaena "Janet Craig"  

Marginata - Dracaena Marginata  

Mass cane/Corn Plant - Dracaena Massangeana  

Mother-in-Law's Tongue - Sansevieria Laurentii  

Pot Mum - Chrysantheium morifolium  

Peace Lily - Spathiphyllum "Mauna Loa"  

Warneckii - Dracaena "Warneckii"  



If we upset the balance of our environment by destroying our forest, we may not be here much longer.

Answer 3

The plants have been recycling CO2 for millions of years and they are continuing. The plants are also recycling our fossil fuels . so we will never run out of fossil fuels.

Answer 4

I do not think that life on earth will ever stop, but if we keep going in the way that we are going human life (at the very least how we know it) will stop.  Really, we are trying to protect the earth to leave it livable for our children and grandchildren.