{"id":151379,"date":"2020-01-13T12:01:56","date_gmt":"2020-01-13T12:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=151379"},"modified":"2020-01-15T08:31:59","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T08:31:59","slug":"human-extinction-now-imminent-and-inevitable-a-report-on-the-state-of-planet-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/01\/human-extinction-now-imminent-and-inevitable-a-report-on-the-state-of-planet-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Extinction Now Imminent and Inevitable? A Report on the State of Planet Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

9 Jan 2020 – <\/em>There is a significant body of evidence that human extinction is now imminent; that is, it will occur within the next few years and possibly this year: 2020. There is also a significant body of evidence that human extinction is now inevitable; that is, it cannot be prevented no matter what we do.<\/p>\n

There are at least four distinct paths to imminent (that is, within five years) human extinction: nuclear war (possibly started regionally), biodiversity collapse (already well advanced and teetering on the brink), the deployment of 5G (commenced recently) and the climate catastrophe. Needless to say, each of these four paths might unfold in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n

In addition, it should be noted, there are other possible paths to extinction in the near term, particularly when considered in conjunction with the four threats just mentioned. These include the cascading impacts triggered by destruction of the Amazon rainforest (which is now imminent) particularly given its critical role in the global hydrological cycle, the rapidly spreading radioactive contamination of Earth, and geoengineering for military purposes (which has been going on for decades and continues).<\/p>\n

Far worse, however, is the path to extinction that looms before us when we consider the impact of all seven of these paths in combination with the vast range of other threats noted below.<\/p>\n

These interrelated threats have generated a shocking series of \u2018points of no return\u2019 (\u2018tipping points\u2019) that we have already crossed, the mutually reinforcing set of negative feedback loops that we have already triggered (and which we will continue to trigger) which cannot be reversed in the short-term, as well as the ongoing synergistic impact of the various \u2018extinction drivers\u2019 (such as ongoing extinctions because dependent species have lost their resource species) we have set in motion and which cannot be halted irrespective of any remedial action we might take. Hence, taking into account all of the above factors, the prospects of averting human extinction are now remote, at best.<\/p>\n

Why has this happened?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because long-standing dysfunctional human behavior, which we have not even begun to recognize as the fundamental driver of this extinction crisis, let alone address, has now trapped us between a rock and a hard place.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, we are trapped by our grotesquely dysfunctional parenting and education models that mass produce individuals who are terrified, self-hating and powerless (leaving them submissively obedient while unable to seek out and consider the evidence for themselves and take powerful action in response) and who, as a result of being terrorized during childhood, are now addicted to chronic over-consumption to suppress their awareness of their deep (and unconscious) emotional pain. See \u2018Love Denied: The Psychology of Materialism, Violence and War\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Do We Want School or Education?\u2019<\/a> with more detailed evidence in \u2018Why Violence?\u2019<\/a> and \u2018<\/a>Fearless Psychology and Fearful Psychology: Principles and Practice\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, also as an outcome of our dysfunctional parenting and education models (as well as the political and economic systems these generate), we keep reproducing and remain trapped by the global elite, and its compliant international organizations (such as the United Nations), national governments and corporations, including its corporate media. This global elite is utterly insane (and, hence, devoid of such qualities as conscience, empathy, compassion and love) and intent on exploiting our desire to suppress awareness of our emotional pain by over-consuming in order to feed their insatiable desire for profit, power and privilege no matter the cost to humanity and Earth\u2019s biosphere. See \u2018The Global Elite is Insane Revisited\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hence, this article does two things.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, in the hope of generating greater consideration of these two issues \u2013 imminence and inevitability of human extinction \u2013 I have presented in straightforward language and point form, a reasonable summary of the nature and extent of our predicament (which clearly indicates that we are on track for human extinction between now \u2013 January 2020 \u2013 and 2025), as well as citing the relevant scientific and\/or other evidence that explains each problem in more detail.<\/p>\n

And second, the article outlines a powerful series of actions and strategies that individuals as well as community groups, neighborhoods and action groups can take as part of a global effort to fight to avert human extinction even if, as mentioned above, it is now inevitable. See, for example, \u2018Extinction Foretold, Extinction Ignored\u2019<\/a> in which the \u2018McPherson Paradox\u2019, which explains one key reason why we are doomed to extinction, is explained.<\/p>\n

The obvious question, which you might well ask me, is this: \u2018If the overwhelming evidence that human extinction is now imminent and inevitable is incontrovertible, why are you suggesting that we \u201cfight to avert human extinction\u201d?\u2019 And my answer is simply this: Because, as I have done for several decades, I am committed to trying to do this one key thing that feels worth doing. Moreover, I am also hopeful that a miracle or two might just occur if we humans commit ourselves fully to the effort<\/em>. I am only too well aware that anything less than a full effort, as outlined below, will certainly fail. And we will virtually certainly fail anyway. But I would rather try, than give up. And you?<\/p>\n

So, in noting the points below, each of which identifies one key way (or a set of related key ways) in which the Earth and its inhabitants were subjected to greater violence in 2019, it is painful to reflect that, as forecast this time last year and based on a clear understanding of the primary driver of human behavior \u2013 fear \u2013 that is generating this multifaceted crisis, 2019 was another year of vital opportunities lost when so much is at stake.<\/p>\n

Because, in essence, whether psychologically, socially, politically, militarily, economically, financially, ecologically or in other ways, in 2019 humanity took more giant strides backwards while passing up endless opportunities to make a positive difference in our world.<\/p>\n

Moreover, to highlight the dramatic nature of our failure, by the end of 2019, a substantial number of countries and regions of the world \u2013 notably including the Amazon basin, Australia, several countries in Central Africa, many European countries, Indonesia, Siberia and North America \u2013 had each experienced (and\/or were still experiencing) a huge series of wildfires (or fires that were deliberately lit), many of them \u2018out of wildfire season\u2019 and breaking records for their \u2018unprecedented\u2019 destructive impact, demonstrating that the Earth is literally burning up. For just an overview, see NASA\u2019s \u2018Fire Information for Resource Management System\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But this very visible symptom of our crisis masks a vast quantity of evidence, in many domains, that is virtually unknown but far more damaging.<\/p>\n

One acknowledgment of this crisis in Earth\u2019s biosphere was the fact that the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists remains poised at just two minutes to midnight, the closest it has ever been to \u2018doomsday\u2019 (and equal to 1953 when the Soviet Union first exploded a thermonuclear weapon matching the US capacity and raising the spectre of nuclear war). See \u2018It is now two minutes to midnight\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This status reflects the perilous state of our world, particularly given the renewed threat of nuclear war and the ongoing climate catastrophe. It didn\u2019t even mention the massive and unrelenting assault on the biosphere (apart from the climate) and the rapidly accelerating biodiversity crisis nor, of course, the ongoing monumental atrocities against fellow human beings.<\/p>\n

So let me identify, very briefly, some of the more crucial backward steps humanity took during 2019 and, far too easily, unfortunately, forecast what will happen in 2020.<\/p>\n

Some Key Lowlights of 2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. The global elite, using key elite fora such as the Group of 30, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group and the World Economic Forum, and despite much rhetoric to the contrary, continued to plan, generate and exacerbate the many ongoing wars, deepening exploitation within the global economy, climate and environmental destruction, and the killing and exploitation of fellow human beings in a multitude of contexts, in pursuit of greater elite profit, power and privilege. See, for example, \u2018Who Is Really in Control of US Foreign Policy?\u2019<\/a>, Giants: The Global Power Elite<\/em><\/a> and \u2018The Global Elite is Insane Revisited\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. International organizations (such as the United Nations, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund) and national governments and corporations used military forces, legal systems, police forces and prison systems \u2013 see \u2018The Rule of Law: Unjust and Violent\u2019<\/a> \u2013 around the world to serve the global elite by defending its interests against the bulk of the human population, including those individuals and organizations courageous enough to challenge elite profit, power and privilege who are being killed in record numbers. (See more in point 35 below.)<\/li>\n
  3. $US1.8 trillion was officially<\/em> spent worldwide on military weapons to kill fellow human beings and other lifeforms, and to destroy the biosphere. This is the highest official (because the figures are taken from \u2018open sources\u2019) annual military expenditure ever recorded and the second consecutive year in which an increase occurred. Apart from military spending, weapons transfers worldwide remained high and both the USA and Russia were \u2018on a path of strategic nuclear renewal\u2019. See \u2018SIPRI Yearbook 2019: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security; Summary\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    However, as noted last year, so out-of-control is this spending that the United States government has now spent $US21trillion on its military in the past 20 years for which it cannot even account! That\u2019s right, $US1trillion each year above the official US national budget for killing is \u2018lost\u2019. See Army General Fund Adjustments Not Adequately Documented or Supported<\/em><\/a>, \u2018Has Our Government Spent $21 Trillion Of Our Money Without Telling Us?\u2019<\/a> and \u2018The Pentagon Can\u2019t Account for $21 Trillion (That\u2019s Not a Typo)\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    There has been no progress reported in accounting for this \u2018lost\u2019 expenditure during the past year.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Under the direction of the global elite (as explained above), the United States government and its NATO allies continued their perpetual war across the planet wreaking devastation on many countries and regions, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. See, for example, Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War<\/em><\/a>, Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield<\/em><\/a> and \u2018Understanding NATO, Ending War\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      As a result, whether in the US-sponsored and supplied Saudi Arabian war against Yemen which the UNHCR characterizes as the worst humanitarian disaster in the world \u2013 see \u2018The Cost of Feeding Yemen as War Rages On\u2019<\/a> \u2013 the result of the US use of depleted uranium on top of its other extraordinary military destruction of Iraq over the past 29 years \u2013 see \u2018Depleted Uranium and Radioactive Contamination in Iraq: An Overview\u2019<\/a> \u2013 or the complete dismemberment of Libya as a result of NATO\u2019s bombing of that country and the subsequent assassination of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 \u2013 see \u2018Endless War and Chaos in Libya\u2019<\/a> \u2013 the United States and its NATO allies have continued their efforts to destroy entire countries (also including Afghanistan, among others), at staggering cost to their populations and environments, not because these countries posed a threat to security anywhere but in order to maintain geopolitical control and to facilitate the theft of their resources (mainly oil) at great profit to the global elite. See, for example, \u2018Hillary Emails Reveal NATO Killed Gaddafi to Stop Libyan Creation of Gold-Backed Currency\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      Moreover, of course, the perpetually-profitable perpetual war, by definition, has no end. But it still isn\u2019t quite acceptable to say, too publicly and loudly, that \u2018The global elite has again used the United States military and its NATO allies to destroy Iraq\/Afghanistan\/Syria\/\u2026 (or, as is now the case, to attack Iran) to make a profit\u2019 so what can be passed off as an excuse must be manufactured and promulgated by the compliant corporate media. And, with a gullibly terrified human population disinclined to question authority, this isn\u2019t a problem. The same unconvincing formula invariably works each time. For a fuller and insightful explanation of this point, see Edward Curtin\u2019s article \u2018The war hoax redux\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      Of course, Iran has long been in the crosshairs of the global elite because of its prodigious (and thus hugely profitable) oil reserves as well as the clear inclination of its leaders (both before and after the US-installed Shah) to make decisions in the interests of Iranians, including foreign policy decisions such as those related to defense and the role of nuclear weapons. Thus, the global elite ensured that the US Congress, via removal by the Senate of a provision \u2018explicitly not authorizing the Pentagon to wage war against Iran or assassinate its officials\u2019 in the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act, effectively \u2018authorized\u2019 President Trump to order the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani. See \u2018America Escalates its \u201cDemocratic\u201d Oil War in the Near East\u2019<\/a>. Soleimani was the head of Iran\u2019s Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran\u2019s elite military force. He was the key figure in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East, and his assassination was carried out in clear contempt of international law. See \u2018Trump\u2019s assassination of Soleimani: Five things to know\u2019<\/a>, \u2018With Suleimani Assassination, Trump Is Doing the Bidding of Washington\u2019s Most Vile Cabal\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Why US assassinated General Qassem Soleimani\u2019<\/a> and \u2018US killing of Iran\u2019s Qassem Soleimani \u201can act of war\u201d\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      This assassination, of course, raises a heightened possibility of war \u2013 essentially, from the elite perspective, to achieve \u2018regime change\u2019 and capture control of Iran\u2019s oil \u2013 in one or more guises possibly involving, as explained by Professor Michel Chossudovsky, the use of \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapons, acts of political destabilization, confiscation of financial assets, extensive economic sanctions, electromagnetic and climatic warfare, environmental modification techniques, cyberwarfare as well as chemical and biological warfare. See \u2018A Major Conventional War Against Iran Is an Impossibility. Crisis within the US Command Structure\u2019<\/a> and \u2018America, An Empire on its Last Leg: To be Kicked Out from the Middle East?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

      Hence, much will depend on the Iranian response to the insanity of those attacking it, which will unfold as this article is being published. For further thoughtful analyses of this crisis, see \u2018War With Iran\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Iran vs. US \u2013 The Murder of General Qassem Suleimani\u2019<\/a> and \u2018On the Brink of War?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Not content with the devastating impact of the military violence it is inflicting already, during 2019 the global elite continued to plan how to cause more destruction in future. Key initiatives included ongoing work to employ advances in autonomous systems and artificial intelligence technologies that will undermine nuclear deterrence and increase the likelihood of nuclear escalation \u2013 see \u2018A Stable Nuclear Future? The Impact of Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence\u2019<\/a> \u2013 and the decision in the United States to create a Space Force, a sixth branch of the US military forces, just two manifestations of this. See \u2018The Very Bad Space Force Deal\u2019<\/a> and \u2018US Making Outer Space the Next Battle Zone \u2013 Karl Grossman\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        In its turn, the Russian government has developed and just deployed a hypersonic weapon that travels at Mach 27 and which makes the US missile defense installations in Europe \u2018obsolete\u2019. See \u2018Avangard changes everything: What Russia\u2019s hypersonic warhead deployment means for the global arms race\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

        But other initiatives receiving renewed attention \u2013 \u2018hypervelocity guns, particle beams and laser weapons onboard orbiting battle platforms with onboard nuclear reactors or \u201csuper\u201d plutonium systems providing the power for the weapons\u2019 \u2013 also enhance the threat that \u2018Modern society would go dark\u2019 in the words of Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell. Why? Because \u2018any war in space would be the one and only. By destroying satellites in space massive amounts of space debris would be created that would cause a cascading effect and even the billion-dollar International Space Station would likely be broken into tiny bits. So much space junk would be created… that we\u2019d never be able to get a rocket off the planet again because of the minefield of debris orbiting the Earth at 15,000 mph\u2019. See \u2018Trump Signs Measure Enabling Establishment of a U.S. Space Force\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

        Of course, technological \u2018advances\u2019 in weaponry reflect retrograde steps in policy with the US Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) \u2013 which includes 20 B-2 stealth bombers, 76 B-52 bombers and 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles together capable of delivering thousands of nuclear warheads \u2013 along with the U.S. Navy\u2019s submarine-launched Trident ballistic missiles, are now \u2018capable of extinguishing essentially all life on Earth within a matter of hours.\u2019 See \u2018The Air Force\u2019s Global Strike Command Is Preparing For A Delivery Of New Nuclear Weapons\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Following the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty in 2002 and after withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the \u2018Iran nuclear deal\u2019) and the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty (which limited the deployment of intermediate range nuclear weapons) in 2018, the US government further and unilaterally signaled its intention to dismantle the little that remained of attempts during the Cold War and since that time to contain the threat of nuclear war by further acting in violation of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 \u2013 see \u2018Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies\u2019<\/a> and \u2018US Weaponizing Space in Bid to Launch Arms Race\u2019<\/a> \u2013 as explained in the point above, and demonstrating its disinterest in extending New START: the sole remaining restraint on U.S.-Russian nuclear arsenals that caps deployed offensive strategic nuclear weapons to no more than 1,550 each. See \u2018Russia says it\u2019s already too late to replace new START treaty\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Global Zero Urges Trump to Accept Putin\u2019s Offer on Nuclear Treaty\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          If you are in any doubt regarding the devastating consequences of nuclear war, you will find Professor Steven Starr\u2019s thoughts \u2013 see \u2018Nuclear Darkness, Global Climate Change and Nuclear Famine: The Deadly Consequences of Nuclear War\u2019<\/a> \u2013 illuminating. In addition, the description by Lynn Eden in \u2018City on Fire\u2019<\/a> (based on her book Whole World on Fire: Organizations, Knowledge, and Nuclear Weapons Devastation<\/em><\/a>) is compelling.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Another substantial proportion of global private financial wealth \u2013 conservatively estimated by the Tax Justice Network in 2010 to already total between $US21 and $US32 trillion \u2013 has been invested virtually tax-free through the world\u2019s still-expanding black hole of more than 80 \u2018offshore\u2019 tax havens (such as the City of London Corporation, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Nauru, St. Kitts, Antigua, Tortola, Switzerland, the Channel Islands, Monaco, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein). This is just financial wealth. Additionally, a large share of the real estate, yachts, racehorses, gold bricks and many other assets that count as non-financial wealth are also owned via offshore structures that make it impossible to identify their owners. See Tax Justice Network<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Tax havens are locations around the world where wealthy individuals, criminals and terrorists, as well as governments and government agencies (such as the CIA), banks, corporations, hedge funds, international organizations (such as the Vatican) and crime syndicates (such as the Mafia), can stash their money so that they can avoid laws, regulation and oversight and, very often, evade tax. See \u2018Elite Banking at Your Expense: How Secretive Tax Havens are Used to Steal Your Money\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

            Controlled by the global elite, Wall Street and other major banks manage this monstrous diversion of wealth under Government protection. \u2018Their business is fraud and grand theft.\u2019 Tax haven locations offer more than tax avoidance. \u2018Almost anything goes on.\u2019 It includes \u2018bribery, illegal gambling, money laundering, human and sex trafficking, arms dealing, toxic waste dumping, conflict diamonds and endangered species trafficking, bootlegged software, and endless other lawless practices.\u2019 See \u2018Trillions Stashed in Offshore Tax Havens\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. The world\u2019s major corporations continued to inflict enormous ongoing violence (in a myriad of ways) in their pursuit of endless profit at the expense of living beings (human and otherwise) and Earth\u2019s biosphere by producing and marketing a wide range of life-destroying products ranging from nuclear weapons and nuclear power to fossil fuels, junk food, pharmaceutical drugs (including health-destroying and sometimes life-destroying vaccinations: see, for example, \u2018Vaxxed-Unvaxxed \u2013 The Science\u2019<\/a>), synthetic poisons and genetically mutilated organisms (GMOs).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              These corporations include the following: weapons manufacturers, major banks and their \u2018industry groups\u2019 like the International Monetary Conference, asset management firms, investment companies, financial services companies, fossil fuel (coal, oil and gas) corporations, technology corporations, media corporations, major marketing and public relations corporations, agrochemical (pesticides, seeds, fertilizers) giants, pharmaceutical corporations (with their handmaidens in the medical and psychiatric industries: see \u2018Defeating the Violence in Our Food and Medicine\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Defeating the Violence of Psychiatry\u2019<\/a>), biotechnology (genetic mutilation) corporations, mining corporations, nuclear power corporations, food multinationals and water corporations. You can see a list of the major corporations in this article: \u2018The Global Elite is Insane Revisited\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. More than two billion people continued to live under occupation, dictatorship or threat of genocidal assault often with the global elite sponsoring an oppressive national government or simply a local elite that exercises power irrespective of the government in office. See, for example, \u2018500 Years is Long Enough! Human Depravity in the Congo\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
              2. 36,500,000 human beings (mainly in Africa, Asia and Central\/South America) were starved to death in 2019.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Are we serious about ending these totally unnecessary deaths? Not even remotely, as thoughtfully explained by Professor George Kent in his article \u2018Are We Serious About Ending Hunger?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

                As Professor Kent notes: currently, around the world, \u2018around 800 million people suffer from hunger\u2019 and that \u2018global efforts to end hunger have not been serious\u2019: There has been \u2018no substantial commitment of resources, no management group to control the process, no realistic timeline, and no means for mid-course corrections on the way to the goal. There [have been] no contracts with agencies that would work toward achievement of the goal\u2026. hoping for the end of hunger won\u2019t work. Hope is not a strategy.\u2019 Moreover, \u2018The UN system offers little more than vague aspirations.\u2019<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. 18,250,000 children were killed by adults in wars, by starving them to death, by denying them clean drinking water, and in a large variety of other ways.<\/li>\n
                2. 8,000,000 children were trafficked into sexual slavery; executed in sacrificial killings after being kidnapped; bred to be sold as a \u2018cash crop\u2019 for sexual violation, to produce child pornography (\u2018kiddie porn\u2019) and \u2018snuff\u2019 movies (in which children are killed during the filming); ritually tortured and murdered as well as raped by dogs trained for the purpose. See \u2018Humanity\u2019s \u201cDirty Little Secret\u201d: Starving, Enslaving, Raping, Torturing and Killing our Children\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                3. Hundreds of thousands of individuals were kidnapped or tricked into slavery, which now denies 46,000,000 human beings (more than at any time in human history) the right to live the life of their choice, condemning many individuals \u2013 especially women and children \u2013 to lives of sexual slavery, forced labor or as child soldiers. Needless to say, the global elite continues to expand this highly profitable business while its compliant governments do no more than mouth an occasional objection to the practice while doing nothing effective to actually end it, as was patently evident following disclosures about high-profile public figures during the year. See \u2018The Global Slavery Index\u2019<\/a>. For one recent account of the life of a modern slave, see \u2018My Family\u2019s Slave\u2019<\/a>. And for an account of the involvement of public figures in sex slavery, see \u2018Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein: what you need to know\u2019<\/a> and the other articles listed at the end of this one.<\/li>\n
                4. Well over 100,000 people (particularly Falun Gong practitioners) in China, where an extensive state-controlled program is conducted, were subjected to forced organ removal for the trade in human organs. See Bloody Harvest<\/em><\/a> and <\/a>The Slaughter<\/em><\/a>.<\/li>\n
                5. 15,768,000 people were displaced by war, persecution or famine. There are now 70,800,000 people, more that half of whom are children and approximately 10,000,000 of whom are stateless, who have been forcibly displaced worldwide and remain precariously unsettled, usually in adverse circumstances. One person in the world is forcibly displaced every two seconds. See \u2018Figures at a Glance\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                6. Millions of people were made homeless in their own country as a result of war, persecution, \u2018natural\u2019 disasters (many of which, including hurricanes\/cyclones and wildfires, were actually generated by dysfunctional human behavior rather than nature), internal conflict, poverty or as a result of elite-driven national economic policies. The last time a global survey was attempted \u2013 by the United Nations back in 2005 \u2013 an estimated 100 million people were homeless worldwide. In addition, as many as 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing (living in slums, for example). See \u2018Global Homelessness Statistics\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                7. Highlighting the unheralded biodiversity crisis on Earth, as a result of habitat destruction and degradation as well as a multitude of other threats, 73,000 species of life (plants, birds, animals, fish, amphibians, insects, reptiles and microbes) on Earth were driven to extinction with the worldwide loss of many of these species \u2013 and certainly including insects, birds, animals and fish \u2013 now at catastrophic levels. Tragically, many additional species are now trapped in a feedback loop which will inevitably precipitate their extinction as well because of the way in which \u2018co-extinctions\u2019, \u2018localized extinctions\u2019 and \u2018extinction cascades\u2019 work once initiated and as has already occurred in almost all ecosystem contexts. See the (so far) five-part series \u2018Our Vanishing World\u2019<\/a>. Have you seen a flock of birds of any size recently? A butterfly?<\/li>\n
                8. Separately from global species extinctions, Earth continued to experience \u2018a huge episode of population declines and extirpations, which will have negative cascading consequences on ecosystem functioning and services vital to sustaining civilization. We describe this as a \u201cbiological annihilation\u201d to highlight the current magnitude of Earth\u2019s ongoing sixth major extinction event.\u2019 Moreover, local population extinctions \u2018are orders of magnitude more frequent than species extinctions. Population extinctions, however, are a prelude to species extinctions, so Earth\u2019s sixth mass extinction episode has proceeded further than most assume.\u2019 See \u2018Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Our Vanishing World: Wildlife\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                9. Wildlife trafficking, worth up to $20 billion in 2019, is pushing many endangered species to the brink of extinction. Illegal wildlife products include jewelry, traditional medicine, clothing, furniture, and souvenirs, as well as some exotic pets, most of which are sold to unaware\/unconcerned consumers in the West although China is heavily implicated too. See, for example, Stop Wildlife Trafficking<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                10. 16,000,000 acres of pristine rainforest were cut or burnt down for purposes such as the following: acquiring timbers used in construction, clearing land to establish cattle farms so that many people can eat cheap hamburgers, clearing land to establish palm oil plantations so that many people can eat processed (including junk) foods based on this oil, clearing land to establish palm oil and soybean plantations so that some people can delude themselves that they are using a \u2018green biofuel\u2019 in their car (when, in fact, these fuels generate a far greater carbon footprint than fossil fuels), mining (much of it illegal) for a variety of minerals (such as gold, silver, copper, coltan, cassiterite and diamonds), and logging to produce woodchips so that some people can buy cheap paper, including cheap toilet paper. One outcome of this destruction is that 40,000 tropical tree species are now threatened with extinction. See \u2018Our Vanishing World: Rainforests\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Measuring the Daily Destruction of the World\u2019s Rainforests\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Half of Amazon Tree Species Face Extinction\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  Another outcome is that \u2018the precious Amazon is teetering on the edge of functional destruction and, with it, so are we\u2019. How long do we have? \u2018The tipping point is here, it is now.\u2019 Professor Thomas E. Lovejoy and his fellow researcher Carlos Nobre elaborate this point: \u2018Bluntly put, the Amazon not only cannot withstand further deforestation but also now requires rebuilding as the underpinning base of the hydrological cycle if the Amazon is to continue to serve as a flywheel of continental climate for the planet and an essential part of the global carbon cycle.\u2019 See \u2018Amazon Tipping Point: Last Chance for Action\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Vast quantities of soil were washed away as we destroyed the rainforests, and enormous quantities of both inorganic constituents (such as heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc) and organic pollutants (particularly synthetic chemicals in the form of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides) were dumped into the soil as well, thus reducing its nutrients and killing the microbes and earthworms within it. We also contaminated enormous quantities of soil with radioactive waste. See Soil-net<\/a>, \u2018Glyphosate effects on soil rhizosphere-associated bacterial communities\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Disposing of Nuclear Waste is a Challenge for Humanity\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    To briefly elaborate the evidence in relation to earthworms: Given \u2018recent reports of critical declines of microbes, plants, insects and other invertebrates, birds and other vertebrates, the situation pertaining to neglected earthworms\u2019 was evaluated in an extensive investigation recently undertaken by Robert J. Blakemore. His research demonstrated an 83.3 percent decline in earthworms in agrichemical farms<\/em> \u2013 that is, those that use pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers \u2013 compared with farms utilizing organic methods. Why? Because \u2018it is impossible to replace or artificially engineer the myriad beneficial processes and services freely provided by earthworms\u2019 which includes extensive burrows in pastures enriched with soil organic matter that allow ingress of air & water and provide living space for other soil organisms. Moreover, given that ecological services overall have been given a median value of US$135 trillion per year, which is almost double the global economic GDP of around $75 trillion \u2013 see \u2018Changes in the global value of ecosystem services\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Valuing nature and the hidden costs of biodiversity loss\u2019<\/a> \u2013 Blakemore reaches an obvious conclusion: \u2018Persistence with failing chemical agriculture makes neither ecological nor economic sense.\u2019 See \u2018Critical Decline of Earthworms from Organic Origins under Intensive, Humic SOM-Depleting Agriculture\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                    Given that this multifaceted destruction of the soil fundamentally threatens the global grain supply, when the ability to grow, store and distribute grains at scale is a defining element of civilization, as Professor Guy McPherson eloquently explains it: \u2018A significant decline in grain harvest will surely drive this version of civilization to the abyss and beyond.\u2019 See \u2018Seven Distinct Paths to Loss of Habitat for Humans\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. Despite an extensive and ongoing coverup by the Japanese government and nuclear corporations, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), vast amounts of radioactive waste were dumped into the biosphere from the TEPCO nuclear power plant at Fukushima in Japan including by discharge into the Pacific Ocean killing an incalculable number of fish and other marine organisms and indefinitely contaminating expanding areas of that ocean. See \u2018Fukushima: A Nuclear War without a War: The Unspoken Crisis of Worldwide Nuclear Radiation\u2019<\/a>, \u20182019 Annual Report \u2013 Fukushima 8th Anniversary\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Eight years after triple nuclear meltdown, Fukushima No. 1\u2019s water woes show no signs of ebbing\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Fukushima\u2019s Three Nuclear Meltdowns Are \u201cUnder Control\u201d \u2013 That\u2019s a Lie\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      But the challenges to be overcome in safely handling and, ultimately, safely storing the radiation hazards (such as the three melted nuclear reactors and the spent fuel rods) and the radioactive waste from the Fukushima disaster are monumental, as touched on in this article outlining the 40-year plan that the Japanese government hopes will delude us into believing will deal with the many components of this perpetual radioactive nightmare. See \u2018Japan revises Fukushima cleanup plan, delays key steps\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                      In addition, one critical legacy of the US military\u2019s 67 secretive and lethal nuclear weapons tests on the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958 is the \u2018eternally\u2019 radioactive garbage left behind and now leaking into the Pacific Ocean. See \u2018The Pentagon\u2019s Disastrous Radioactive Waste Dump in the Drowning Marshall Islands is Leaking into the Pacific Ocean\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                      Is other nuclear waste safely stored? Of course not! See, for example, \u2018NRC admits San Onofre Holtec nuclear waste canisters are all damaged\u2019<\/a>, \u2018USA\u2019s Hanford nuclear site could suffer the same fate as Russia\u2019s Mayak \u2013 or worse\u2019<\/a> and, for a more comprehensive report, \u2018The World Nuclear Waste Report 2019: Focus Europe\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                      Of course, the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe in 1986 continues to inflict extensive damage on the biosphere which you can learn more about from the research by Professor Kate Brown, author of Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future<\/em><\/a> \u2013 \u2018Chernobyl Radiation Cover-Ups & Deadly Truth\u2019<\/a>, \u2018UN and Western countries covered up the facts on the huge health toll of Chernobyl radiation\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Unreported Deaths, Child Cancer & Radioactive Meat: The Untold Story of Chernobyl\u2019<\/a> \u2013 as well as the investigatory work of Alison Katz of Independent WHO: \u2018Chernobyl Health Cover-Up, Lies by UN\/WHO Exposed\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. Human use of fossil fuels to power aircraft, shipping and vehicles as well as for industrial production and to generate electricity (among other purposes) released 10 billion metric tons (10 gigatons) of carbon dioxide into Earth\u2019s biosphere, a 0.6% increase over 2018, with China\u2019s monstrous CO2 emissions for 2019 totaling 2.6% greater than the previous year. See \u2018Global Carbon Budget 2019\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        As one measure of their contempt for the utterly inadequate goals of the Paris climate agreement, and with government approval, \u2018over 400 of the 746 companies on the Global Coal Exit List are still planning to expand their coal operations\u2019<\/strong>. If built, these projects in 60 countries would add over 579 GW to the global coal plant fleet, an increase of almost 29%. See \u2018Companies Driving the World\u2019s Coal Expansion Revealed: NGOs Release New Global Coal Exit List for Finance Industry\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Proposed Coal Plants by Country\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        1. 72 billion land animals (mainly chickens, ducks, pigs, rabbits, geese, turkeys, sheep, goats and beef cattle) were killed for food. In addition, between 37 and 120 billion fish were killed on commercial farms with another 2.7 trillion fish caught and killed in the wild. See \u2018How Many Animals Are Killed for Food Every Day?\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                          Apart from that, more than 100 million animals were killed for laboratory purposes in the United States alone and there were other animal deaths in shelters, zoos and in blood sports. See \u2018How Many Animals Are Killed Each Year?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

                          In addition, according to Humane Society International, about 100 million animals (particularly mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and rabbits) were bred and slaughtered in fur farms geared to supplying the fashion industry. In addition to farming, millions of wild animals were trapped and killed for fur, as were hundreds of thousands of seals. See \u2018How Many Animals are Killed Each Year?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

                            \n
                          1. Farming of animals for human consumption released 7.1 gigatons of CO2-equivalent into Earth\u2019s atmosphere; this represented 14.5 percent of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. About 44% of livestock emissions were in the form of methane (which was 44% of anthropogenic CH4 emissions), 29% as Nitrous Oxide (which was 53% of anthropogenic N2O emissions) and 27% as Carbon Dioxide (which was 5% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions). See \u2018GHG Emissions by Livestock\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                          2. Human use of fossil fuels and farming of animals released more than 3.2 million metric tons of (CO2 equivalent) nitrous oxide (N2O) into Earth\u2019s atmosphere. See \u2018Nitrous oxide emissions\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                          3. Despite largely successful efforts by the elite-controlled IPCC to delude people into believing that the global mean temperature has increased by only 1.0 degree celsius, in fact, since the pre-industrial era (prior to 1750)<\/em> greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have already caused the global temperature to rise by about 1.73 degrees celsius. See \u2018How much warmer is it now?\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                            Among a lengthy list of adverse outcomes, this has caused the melting of Arctic permafrost and undersea methane ice clathrates resulting in an incalculable quantity of methane being uncontrollably released into the atmosphere, including during 2019, with the quantity being released getting ever closer to \u2018exploding\u2019. See \u2018Anomalies of methane in the atmosphere over the East Siberian shelf: Is there any sign of methane leakage from shallow shelf hydrates?\u2019<\/a>, \u20187,000 underground gas bubbles poised to \u201cexplode\u201d in Arctic\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Release of Arctic Methane \u201cMay Be Apocalyptic,\u201d Study Warns\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Understanding the Permafrost-Hydrate System and Associated Methane Releases in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                            In fact, the methane threat is already so extreme that the forecast El Ni\u00f1o event for 2020 could be the catalyst to trigger huge methane releases from the Arctic Ocean precipitating human extinction this year.<\/em><\/strong> See \u2018Very early warning signal for El Ni\u00f1o in 2020 with a 4 in 5 likelihood\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Extinction in 2020?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

                              \n
                            1. Glaciers and mountain ice fields \u2013 whether located in Greenland or other regions of the far north, the Himalaya, at the Equator, in southern latitudes or Antarctica \u2013 are all melting at unprecedented and accelerating rates, losing billions of tonnes of ice in 2019. For a discussion of the details and the implications of this, see \u2018Our Vanishing World: Glaciers\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                            2. The ongoing destruction of Earth\u2019s oceans continued unabated and accelerated in key areas.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                              An incalculable amount of agricultural poisons, fossil fuels and other wastes was discharged into the ocean, adversely impacting life at all ocean depths \u2013 see \u2018Staggering level of toxic chemicals found in creatures at the bottom of the sea, scientists say\u2019<\/a> \u2013 and generating ocean \u2018dead zones\u2019: regions that have too little oxygen to support marine organisms. See \u2018Our Planet Is Exploding With Marine \u201cDead Zones\u201d\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                              In addition, however, another problem that has been getting insufficient attention is the result of the expanding impacts of the rapidly increasing levels of ocean acidification, ocean warming, ocean carbon flows and ocean plastics. Taken in isolation each of these changes clearly has negative consequences for the ocean. All these shifts taken together, however, result in a rapid and serious decline in ocean health and this, in turn, adversely impacts all species dependent on the ocean including fish, mammals and seabirds. Moreover, on top of these problems is the issue of oxygen availability given that oxygen in the air or water is of paramount importance to most living organisms. As the recently released report \u2018Ocean deoxygenation: Everyone\u2019s problem. Causes, impacts, consequences and solutions\u2019<\/a> describes in some detail, oxygen levels are currently declining across the ocean, not just in \u2018dead zones\u2019.<\/p>\n

                              And to elaborate the plastics problem briefly: at least 8 million metric tons of plastic, of which 236,000 tons were microplastics, was discharged into the ocean. So severe is the problem that there are now five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world covering large swaths of the ocean; the plastic patch between California and Hawaii is the size of the state of Texas. See \u2018Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Plastics in the Ocean\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                \n
                              1. Earth\u2019s fresh water and ground water was further depleted and contaminated.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                The depletion is a primary outcome of the ongoing deforestation of the planet and is manifesting in several ways including as localized droughts, which are becoming increasingly common as a number of cities and regions around the world can attest. According to the World Resources Institute, half of the surface water in some countries \u2013 mainly in Central Asia and the Middle East \u2013 was depleted between 1984 and 2015, with agriculture using an average of 70% of the water. 36 countries are \u2018extremely water-stressed\u2019 and water is now a major factor in conflict in at least 45 countries. See \u20187 Graphics Explain the State of the World\u2019s Water\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                Separately from depletion, fresh water was contaminated by bacteria, viruses and household chemicals from faulty septic systems; hazardous wastes from abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites (of which there are over 20,000 in the USA alone); leaks from landfill items such as car battery acid, paint and household cleaners; the pesticides, herbicides and other poisons used on farms and home gardens; radioactive waste from nuclear tests (some of it stored in glaciers that are now melting); and the chemical contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in search of shale gas, for which about 750 chemicals and components, some extremely toxic and carcinogenic like lead and benzene, have been used. See \u2018Groundwater contamination\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Groundwater drunk by BILLIONS of people may be contaminated by radioactive material spread across the world by nuclear testing in the 1950s\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Fracking chemicals\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                  \n
                                1. The longstanding covert military use of geoengineering \u2013 spraying tens of millions of tons of highly toxic metals (including aluminium, barium and strontium) and toxic coal fly ash nanoparticulates (containing arsenic, chromium, thallium, chlorine, bromine, fluorine, iodine, mercury and radioactive elements) into the atmosphere from jet aircraft to weaponize the atmosphere and weather \u2013 in order to enhance elite control of human populations, continued unchecked. Geoengineering is systematically destroying Earth\u2019s ozone layer \u2013 which blocks the deadly portion of solar radiation, UV-C and most UV-B, from reaching Earth\u2019s surface \u2013 as well as adversely altering Earth\u2019s weather patterns and polluting its air, water and soil at incredible cost to the health and well-being of living organisms and the biosphere. See \u2018Geoengineering Watch\u2019<\/a>, including \u2018Engineered Climate Cataclysm: Hurricane Harvey\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                  For a discussion of the military implications of geoengineering, see \u2018The Ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction: \u201cOwning the Weather\u201d for Military Use\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                  And for discussions of the research, and implications of it, by Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt and Dr. Stephenie Seneff (Senior Research Scientist at MIT), which considers damage to the biosphere and human health caused by the geoengineering release of a synthesized compound of nanonized aluminium and the poison glyphosate that creates a \u2018supertoxin\u2019 that is generating \u2018a crisis of neurological diseases\u2019, see \u2018World-Renowned Doctor Addresses Climate Engineering Dangers\u2019<\/a>, Dr Stephenie Seneff<\/a>, \u2018Autism Explained: Synergistic Poisoning from Aluminum and Glyphosate\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Extinction is Stalking Humanity: The Threats to Human Survival Accumulate\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                    \n
                                  1. The incredibly destructive 5G technology, which a vast number of scientists (currently totaling more than 188,000 individuals and organizations from 203 nations and territories: see \u2018International Appeal to Stop 5G on Earth and in Space\u2019<\/a>) are warning will have catastrophic consequences for life on Earth, is now being rapidly introduced without informed public consultation and despite ongoing protests around the world.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                    The following articles and videos will give you a solid understanding of key issues from the viewpoint of human and planetary well-being. See \u20185G Satellites: A Threat to all Life\u2019<\/a>, \u20185G Danger: 13 Reasons 5G Wireless Technology Will Be a Catastrophe for Humanity\u2019<\/a>, \u20185G Technology is Coming \u2013 Linked to Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer\u2019s, and Death\u2019<\/a>, \u201820,000 Satellites for 5G to be Launched Sending Focused Beams of Intense Microwave Radiation Over Entire Earth\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Will 5G Cell Phone Technology Lead To Dramatic Population Reduction As Large Numbers Of Men Become Sterile?\u2019<\/a>, \u2018The 5G Revolution: Millions of \u201cHuman Guinea Pigs\u201d in Big Telecom\u2019s Global Experiment\u2019<\/a> and \u20185G Apocalypse \u2013 The Extinction Event\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                      \n
                                    1. As one outcome of our dysfunctional parenting model and political systems, fascism continued to rise around the world. See \u2018The Psychology of Fascism\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                                    2. Despite the belief that we have \u2018the right to privacy\u2019, privacy (in any sense of the word) was ongoingly eroded in 2019 and is now effectively non-existent, particularly thanks to Alphabet (owner of Google). Taken together, \u2018Uber, Amazon, Facebook, eBay, Tinder, Apple, Lyft, Foursquare, Airbnb, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter, Angry Birds… have turned our computers and phones into bugs that are plugged in to a vast corporate-owned surveillance network. Where we go, what we do, what we talk about, who we talk to, and who we see \u2013 everything is recorded and, at some point, leveraged for value.\u2019 Moreover, given Google\u2019s integrated relationship with the US government, the US military, the CIA, and major US weapons manufacturers, there isn\u2019t really anything you can do that isn\u2019t known by those who want to know it. In essence, Google is \u2018a powerful global corporation with its own political agenda and a mission to maximise profits for shareholders\u2019 and it partly achieves this by expanding the surveillance programs of the national security state at the direction of the global elite. But Google isn\u2019t alone and it isn\u2019t just happening in the USA. See \u2018Everybody\u2019s Watching You: The Intercept\u2019s 2019 Technology Coverage\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Google\u2019s Earth: How the Tech Giant Is Helping the State Spy on Us\u2019<\/a>, the articles by John W. Whitehead on \u2018Surveillance\u2019<\/a> and the documentary \u2018The Modern Surveillance State\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                                    3. The right to free speech, accurate information and conscience-based nonviolent activism was ongoingly eroded in 2019 as efforts, by governments and corporations particularly, to control speech, information and political action accelerated. Whether this took the form of censorship, restrictions on access or violent acts directed against those whose views or actions were seen as dangerous or wrong, Global Witness, Human Rights Watch and other organizations documented an endless series of setbacks for free speech and political activity in a wide variety of countries around the world with individuals and journalists imprisoned for telling the truth, nonviolent activists assaulted and killed, critics silenced by defamation laws or \u2018disappearance\u2019, and the closure of newspapers, television stations and the internet to prevent rapid promulgation of information, among other infringements. See, for example, \u2018Free Speech\u2019<\/a>, \u2018The supply chain of violence\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Environmental activist murders double in 15 years\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Enemies of the State? How governments and businesses silence land and environmental defenders\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                                    4. Believing that we know better than evolution, and following the birth in 2018 of the first gene-edited babies in China \u2013 see \u2018Why we are not ready for genetically designed babies\u2019<\/a> and \u2018China\u2019s Golem Babies: There is Another Agenda\u2019<\/a> \u2013 in 2019, further human gene-editing was done as well as gene-editing experiments intended to explore possibilities for more complex gene-editing of humans. Why? According to the authors of one report: \u2018To extend the frontier of genome editing and enable the radical redesign<\/strong> of mammalian genomes\u2019 (emphasis added). This experiment allowed \u2018for the simultaneous editing of >10,000 loci in human cells\u2019. See \u2018Enabling large-scale genome editing by reducing DNA nicking\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                      Needless to say, at least some responsible scientists are well aware of the possibly horrific consequences of this technology in the hands of those without ethics and are calling for a moratorium of at least five years on heritable human gene editing to allow time \u2018to engage in proactive, rather than reactive, discussions about the future of such technology\u2019. Of course, despite the calls for caution, \u2018some researchers are forging ahead\u2019. See \u2018NIH Director on Human Gene Editing: \u201cWe Must Never Allow Our Technology to Eclipse Our Humanity\u201d\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                        \n
                                      1. Incalculable amounts of waste of every conceivable kind \u2013 including antibiotic waste, military waste, nuclear waste, nanowaste and genetically engineered organisms, including \u2018gene drives\u2019 (or \u2018mutagenic chain reactions\u2019) \u2013 were released into Earth\u2019s biosphere, with an endless series of adverse consequences for life. See \u2018Junk Planet: Is Earth the Largest Garbage Dump in the Universe?\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                        Not content to dump our junk on Earth, an incalculable amount of junk was also dumped in Space which already contains 100 trillion items of orbiting junk. See \u2018Junk Planet: Is Earth the Largest Garbage Dump in the Universe?\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Space Junk: Tracking & Removing Orbital Debris\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                          \n
                                        1. Ongoing \u2018visible\u2019, \u2018invisible\u2019 and \u2018utterly invisible\u2019 violence against children \u2013 see \u2018<\/a>Why Violence?\u2019<\/a> and \u2018<\/a>Fearless Psychology and Fearful Psychology: Principles and Practice\u2019<\/a> \u2013 ensured that more people will grow up accepting (and quite powerless to challenge) our dysfunctional and violent world, as described above.<\/li>\n
                                        2. The global elite\u2019s corporate media, schooling and film\/television industries continued to distract vast numbers of people from reality with an endless barrage of propaganda respectively labeled, depending on the context, \u2018news\u2019, \u2018education\u2019 and \u2018entertainment\u2019 ensuring that most people remain oblivious to our predicament, devoid of the capacities to investigate, comprehend and analyze this predicament as well as their own role in it, and to respond to this predicament powerfully. See, for example, \u2018Media\u2019s Deafening Silence on Latest from WikiLeaks about the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Fake Douma Report Blaming Syria\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Do We Want School or Education?\u2019<\/a> and \u2018The Most Important Free Press Stories of 2019\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
                                        3. Finally, as a direct outcome of these last two points but most tragically of all, virtually all of the individuals who self-identify as \u2018activists\u2019 continued to waste their time begging the global elite (or their agents) to fix one or other of our crises \u2013 starkly illustrated by those thousands of climate \u2018activists\u2019 who traveled to Madrid, mostly using fossil fuels, and then complained when the outcome was, predictably, pitiful: see the powerless civil society \u2018Statement on COP25\u2019<\/a> \u2013 despite the overwhelming evidence that the global elite will not take action to \u2018fix\u2019 any of these crises. See \u2018Why Activists Fail\u2019<\/a>. And, for more detail in two key contexts, see \u2018The Global Climate Movement is Failing: Why?\u2019<\/a> and \u2018The War to End War 100 Years On: An Evaluation and Reorientation of our Resistance to War\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                          Moreover, even if it was inclined, the elite is now powerless to avert extinction given that, if we are to have any chance given the advanced nature of the crisis and the incredibly short timeframe, we must plan intelligently to mobilize a substantial proportion of the human population in a strategically-focused effort. Nothing else can work.<\/p>\n

                                          Highlights of 2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

                                          But so that the picture is clear and \u2018balanced\u2019: were there any gains made against the onslaught outlined above, particularly given we were driven inexorably closer to extinction?<\/p>\n

                                          Considering the elite and its agents: Zero gains were made of which I am aware. I have found no record of official efforts during the year to plan for the development and implementation of a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace although there was plenty of rhetoric in some quarters, often by those without any actual power to make a difference.<\/p>\n

                                          Separately from this, there have been some minor activist gains: for example, some western banks and insurance companies are no longer financially supporting the expansion of the western weapons industry and the western coal industry, some superannuation (pension) funds have divested from weapons and fossil fuels, some rainforest groups have managed to save portions of Earth\u2019s rainforest heritage, and activist groups continue to work on a variety of issues sometimes making modest gains.<\/p>\n

                                          In essence however, as you probably realize, many of the issues above are not even being tackled and, even when they are, activist efforts have been hampered by inadequate analysis of the forces driving conflicts and problems, limited vision (particularly unambitious aims such as those in relation to ending war and the climate catastrophe), and unsophisticated strategy (necessary to have profound impact against a deeply entrenched, highly organized and well-resourced opponent), with the endless lobbying of elite institutions, such as governments and corporations, despite this effort simply allowing the absorption and dissipation of our dissent, as is intended. As Mark Twain once noted: \u2018If voting made a difference, they wouldn\u2019t let us do it.\u2019 Another problem was the failure to make the difficult decisions to model and promote necessary solutions that are \u2018unpopular\u2019.<\/p>\n

                                          Fundamentally, these \u2018difficult decisions\u2019 include the vital need to campaign for the human population, particularly in industrialized countries, to substantially reduce their consumption \u2013 by 80% \u2013 involving both energy and resources of every kind, while increasing our individual and community self-reliance, as the central feature of any strategy to curtail destruction of the environment and climate, to undermine capitalism and to eliminate the primary driver of war: violent resource acquisition from Middle Eastern and developing nations for the production of consumer goods for consumers in industrialized countries.<\/p>\n

                                          So here we stand at the brink of human extinction (with 200 species of life on Earth being driven to extinction daily) and most humans utterly oblivious to (or in denial of: see \u2018The Psychology of Denial\u2019<\/a>) the desperate nature and timeframe of our plight. And the fundamental reason why this is the case is simple to identify: unconscious fear is making people, including activists, incapable of behaving sensibly in the crisis. Instead, people are doing what they were terrorized into doing as a child: obeying their parents, teachers, religious figures and, ultimately, the elite. Why? Because when the choice is between obedience on the one hand and punishment on the other, obedience almost invariably wins. And so now we obediently ask the elite, perhaps by lobbying one of their governments, to \u2018fix\u2019 things for us \u2013 to save the climate, to end war… \u2013 and meekly accept it when they ignore us or refuse. After all, that is what most parents and teachers do \u2013 ignore us or refuse us \u2013 and we have fearfully learned to \u2018accept it\u2019. Which is why the idea of behaving powerfully ourselves never really occurs to most people.<\/p>\n

                                          \u2018But I am not afraid\u2019 you (or someone else) might say. Aren\u2019t you? Your unconscious mind has had years to learn the tricks it needed when you were a child to survive the onslaught of the violent parenting and schooling you suffered \u2013 see \u2018<\/a>Why Violence?\u2019<\/a>, \u2018<\/a>Fearless Psychology and Fearful Psychology: Principles and Practice\u2019<\/a> and \u2018Do We Want School or Education?\u2019<\/a> \u2013 among the many other possibilities of violence, including those of a structural nature, that you will have also suffered.<\/p>\n

                                          But your mind only learned these \u2018tricks\u2019 \u2013 such as the trick of suppressing awareness of your fear and hiding it behind the permitted and encouraged overconsumption: see \u2018Love Denied: The Psychology of Materialism, Violence and War\u2019<\/a> \u2013 at great cost to your functionality and it now diverts the attention from reality of most people so effectively that they cannot even pay attention to the obvious and imminent threats to human survival.<\/p>\n

                                          In any case, there is a simple test of whether or not you are afraid.<\/p>\n

                                          Responding Powerfully<\/strong><\/h3>\n

                                          If you feel able to act powerfully in response to this complex and multifaceted crisis, in a way that will have strategic impact, you are invited to join (but now using a substantially accelerated timeframe) those participating in \u2018The Flame Tree Project to Save Life on Earth\u2019<\/a>, which outlines a simple plan for you to systematically reduce your consumption, by at least 80%, involving both energy and resources of every kind \u2013 water, household energy, transport fuels, metals, meat, paper and plastic \u2013 while dramatically expanding your individual and community self-reliance in 16 areas, so that all threats to the biosphere are effectively addressed.<\/p>\n

                                          If you are also interested in conducting or participating in a campaign to systematically address one of the issues identified above, you are welcome to consider acting strategically in the way that Mohandas K. Gandhi did. Whether you are engaged in a peace, climate, environment or social justice campaign, the 12-point strategic framework and principles are the same. See Nonviolent Campaign Strategy<\/a>. And, for example, you can see a basic list of the strategic goals necessary to end war and halt the climate catastrophe in \u2018Strategic Aims\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                          If you want to know how to nonviolently defend against a foreign invading power or a political\/military coup, to liberate your country from a dictatorship or a foreign occupation, or to defeat a genocidal assault, you will learn how to do so in \u2018Nonviolent Defense\/Liberation Strategy\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                          If you are interested in nurturing children to live by their conscience and to gain the courage necessary to resist elite violence fearlessly, while living sustainably despite the entreaties of capitalism to over-consume, then you are welcome to make \u2018My Promise to Children\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                          To reiterate: capitalism, war and destruction of the biosphere are, fundamentally, outcomes of our dysfunctional parenting and education of children which distorts their intellectual and emotional capacities, destroys their conscience and courage, and actively teaches them to over-consume as compensation for having vital emotional needs denied. See \u2018Love Denied: The Psychology of Materialism, Violence and War\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                          This explains why Gandhi\u2019s example, set more than 100 years ago, to minimize his own possessions and consumption as symbolized by his wearing of khadi, together with his observation \u2018Earth provides enough for every person\u2019s need, but not for every person\u2019s greed.\u2019 have never had the widespread impact that was needed to achieve some level of sustainability about the human presence on Earth. The dysfunctional emotional attachment to possessions and consumption is overwhelming for most people.<\/p>\n

                                          If your own intellectual and\/or emotional functionality is the issue and you have the self-awareness to perceive that, and wish to access the conscience and courage that would enable you to act powerfully, try \u2018Putting Feelings First\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                          And if you want to be part of the worldwide movement committed to ending all of the violence identified above, consider signing the online pledge of \u2018The People\u2019s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                                          In summary: if we do not rapidly, systematically and substantially reduce our consumption in several key areas and radically alter our parenting model, while resisting elite violence strategically on several fronts, Homo sapiens will enter Earth\u2019s fossil record in 2020 or soon after. Given the fear, self-hatred and powerlessness that paralyses most humans, your choices in these regards are even more vital than you realize.<\/strong><\/p>\n

                                          Or, if the options above seem too complicated, consider committing to:<\/p>\n

                                          The Earth Pledge<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

                                          Out of love for the Earth and all of its creatures, and my respect for their needs, from this day onwards I pledge that:<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

                                            \n
                                          1. I will listen deeply to children<\/em><\/strong> (see explanation above)<\/em><\/li>\n
                                          2. I will not travel by plane<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          3. I will not travel by car<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          4. I will not eat meat and fish<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          5. I will only eat organically\/biodynamically grown food<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          6. I will minimize the amount of fresh water I use, including by minimizing my ownership and use of electronic devices<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          7. I will not buy rainforest timber<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          8. I will not buy or use single-use plastic, such as bags, bottles, containers, cups and straws<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          9. I will not use banks, superannuation (pension) funds or insurance companies that provide any service to corporations involved in fossil fuels, nuclear power and\/or weapons<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          10. I will not accept employment from, or invest in, any organization that supports or participates in the exploitation of fellow human beings or profits from killing and\/or destruction of the biosphere<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          11. I will not get news from the corporate media (mainstream newspapers, television, radio, Google, Facebook, Twitter\u2026)<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          12. I will make the effort to learn a skill, such as food gardening or sewing, that makes me more self-reliant<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
                                          13. I will gently encourage my family and friends to consider signing this pledge.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                            Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

                                            Very soon now, the overwhelming evidence is that Homo sapiens will join other species that only exist as part of the fossil record. For other summaries of our predicament, see <\/strong>\u2018Human Extinction by 2026? A Last Ditch Strategy to Fight for Human Survival\u2019<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>\u2018Doomsday by 2021?\u2019<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>\u2018Extinction in 2020?\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

                                            Our chance of escaping this fate is now remote.<\/p>\n

                                            Which is why I am compelled to forecast the following: As is overwhelmingly demonstrated by any consideration of the historical evidence in relation to human behavior, fear will prevent the vast bulk of human beings considering the evidence offered above as well as that cited. Moreover, even among those who do consider it, few will have the capacity to act sensibly and powerfully in response, particularly given the comprehensive range of strategies in so many different contexts that are now necessary.<\/p>\n

                                            Hence, absent the intellectual and emotional capacities necessary to respond strategically to this complex and multifaceted crisis, human extinction will occur imminently.<\/p>\n

                                            Obviously, I hope I am wrong (and I will be doing everything I can to make it so).<\/p>\n

                                            _______________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

                                            \"\"<\/a><\/em>Robert Burrowes, Ph.D. is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/a> and has a lifetime commitment to understanding and ending human violence. He has done extensive research since 1966 in an effort to understand why human beings are violent and has been a nonviolent activist since 1981. He is the author of <\/em>Why Violence?<\/a> Websites: (Charter<\/a>)\u00a0 (Flame Tree Project<\/a>)\u00a0 (Songs of Nonviolence<\/a>) (<\/em>Nonviolent Campaign Strategy<\/em><\/a>) (Nonviolent Defense\/Liberation Strategy<\/em><\/a>) (<\/em>Robert J. Burrowes<\/a><\/em>) (<\/em>Feelings First<\/em><\/a>)\u00a0Email: flametree@riseup.net<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                            There are at least four distinct paths to imminent (that is, within five years) human extinction: nuclear war (possibly started regionally), biodiversity collapse (already well advanced and teetering on the brink), the deployment of 5G (commenced recently) and the climate catastrophe. Needless to say, each of these four paths might unfold in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":49131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[686,120,401,1175,993,260,1301,75],"class_list":["post-151379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members","tag-climate-change","tag-conflict","tag-environment","tag-extinction","tag-global-warming","tag-history","tag-nuclear-war","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}