The Living Earth
Many believe that technology is the solution to the environmental and climate crisis. Renewable sources, energy-efficient buildings, electric vehicles etc., will play a decisive role in reducing emissions. We also need a more realistic understanding of the problems relating to the living Earth. Today a common thread linking progressive movements around the world is the growing commitment to building societies that work for the flourishing of both humans and the natural world, rather than against them.
The Living Earth (Article 1)
A better understanding of the connections between humans and nature can help to protect the Living Earth including humanity itself.
Approximate Read Time: 4 Mins
There is something of wonder at the basis of all life on Earth. The fact that chemicals can arise from the confines of an ancient molecular soup and via the process of evolution over millions of years develop into increasingly more complex lifeforms, lifeforms that somehow cooperate in order to continue to survive in an interconnected and changing world.
During the long geochemical history of the earth, microbes, together with fungi and plants, have been essential, and are still essential, to the very composition of the environment in which we humans live. As far as we know all living forms on the planet are locked down within the limits of the Living Earth. That is the shallow layer of earth in which we live, and which has been transformed into a habitable milieu by the aeons-long labour of evolution.
Put simply, it is that the secret of the Living Earth’s success so far is that of aggregating. Several of those aggregations have been game-changers and it is because of all of these changes that we exist at all. It started probably about 4 billion years ago, when hitherto isolated molecules started to assemble spontaneously under the right conditions. Over (a very long) time they aggregated into increasingly stable constructs (nothing mysterious there: those that were less stable would not last as long) and replicated (a precursor to our current DNA). The next momentous change occurred when these molecules accumulated protective layers, and merged with other structures. This eventually became the modern cell.
Some cells then started to aggregate, forming coalitions in a sense. In some cases, these coalitions are temporary. In others, cells remain together: trees, birds and humans are obligate coalitions of cells that have formed identities of their own. The final major transition occurred when individuals themselves coalesced into various groups. For some species, honey bees for example, being a society is the only way they can survive, and of course the human society is a recent example of the advantage of group living.
The majority of the world’s species cannot withstand any significant disruption of their habitat by humans. Healthy ecosystems depend to a great extent on old and gnarly places, that might take centuries to develop, and are rich in what ecologists call “spatial heterogeneity”: complex natural architecture. They need, for example, giant trees, whose knotty entrails are rotten. The loss of these ancient habitats is one of the factors driving the global shift from large, slow-growing creatures to the small, short-lived species able to survive our onslaughts. Slow ecology would protect and create our future ancient habitats. At the moment, we’re going in the opposite direction.
World governments need to address, now and not in some future time, the state of our environment so as to avoid a ghastly future for the Living Earth. That is according to leading scientists who have assessed the current state of the Living Earth. They warn the outlook for the living Earth “is more dire and dangerous than is generally understood”. In relation to the challenge of protecting the Living Earth the problem is compounded by ignorance and short-term self-interest, with the pursuit of wealth and political interests stymying the action that is crucial for continuing our survival.
The world’s leading scientists are warning that the Earth’s life-support systems are fast approaching collapse, and certainly a danger zone for humanity when publishing the results of the most comprehensive study of life on Earth ever undertaken. The recent 1,800-page UN’s research body tells us, as well as wildlife, and future generations, are at risk unless action is taken to reverse the loss of plants, insects and other creatures on which humanity depends.
In relation to the living Earth we could say that the small reflects the large, and the health of the total system requires the flourishing of each part. When this principle of natural ecology is applied to human societies, then we see these societies flourish.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770- 1827) had a profound love of nature More than 200 hundred years later we remember Beethoven’s wonderful music that inspires us to cherish the natural world, be filled with inspiration, and a determination to safeguard the Living Earth. The Living Earth – It’s beautiful, magical, incredible, natural, inspiring, life giving, yet it is almost unbelievable that we continue to pollute and destroy it. It could be said that contact with the Living Earth is valuable in the sense of it being; health-giving, awe-inspiring as well as helping in calming the mind.
For some decades now (a very short time in human history) scientists from various disciplines have been warning of human failure to grasp the extent of serious threats to the Living Earth as a result of biodiversity loss and the climate crisis. You could say that there are a number of guiding principles regarding protecting the Living Earth. These principles are not meant to be dogmatic, but rather a starting point for discussion and action regarding ecological matters and the sustainability of the human species. These include:
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Appreciating the life of the natural world,
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Protecting or restoring local ecosystems.
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Consuming less.
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Addressing vital needs rather than wants.
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Attempting to live in harmony with nature.
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Appreciating ethnic and cultural differences.
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Working to improve the standard of living for the world’s poor.
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Working to eliminate injustice to humans and other species.
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Acting non-violently in the world.
The Living Earth (Article 2)
The protection of the Living Earth encompasses science, philosophy, spirituality, as well as environmental and human sustainability.
Approximate Read Time: 2 Mins
In relation to the survival of humanity why is it that the vast majority of us are allowing the few to lead us all to extinction? Surely, this is the most fundamental dilemma confronting not only humanity but the rest of the Living Earth. The Living Earth sustains us. We can’t just ask the shallow questions any more. Our questions ought to go to the core of the damage we are doing to the natural world. We ought to set about changing the way see and think about nature itself.
We need to reinvent or recapture our connections with the natural world. The future of all life on this planet, including human life, requires us to become effective stewards of the Living Earth — the climate, land, ocean, freshwater, forests, soils, and rich diversity of life. The rich diversity of life on Earth combines to create a unique and harmonious life-support system. There is now an existential need to build economies and societies that support the Living Earth, rather than disrupt it
We must learn to live in an ever-changing environment where we aim to reduce the Living Earth’s exposure to the risk of catastrophe. Doing so without believing it is in our power to forever prevent it from happening if only a global cap on emissions is agreed. More is needed. In relation to protecting the Living Earth, having a positive approach to people is a more realistic reflection of the true nature of human beings in general. Those in authority would be wise to ask themselves: What positive differences would be gained if we acknowledge that the majority of people are motivated by helping each other and the natural world rather than motivated by greed or gaining power over others?
All too many people are caught up in their own busyness leaving little, or no, time to reflect on the complexity and beauty of the world we all share and depend upon. Appreciating the natural world brings us closer to understanding the nature of the Living Earth. It is quite simply a fact that the current ways of life and economic activity have a comprehensive and negative impact on various ecosystems. If we do not change, the Living Earth faces drastic and irreversible disadvantages.
Andy Purvis, a professor at the Natural History Museum London in a response to a recent detailed and extensive planetary health check says that the take-home message is that we should have gone to the doctor sooner. In other words the Living Earth is in a bad way. Professor Purvis added that the society we would like our children and grandchildren to live in is in real jeopardy. “I cannot overstate it,” he said. “If we leave it to later generations to try to clear up the mess, I don’t think they will forgive us.”
If you listen to the sounds of nature it can serve as a portal to the natural world—it can act as a source of connection, nourishment and interdependence, with the Living Earth and with one another. To help survive the current climate crisis, we must somehow learn about the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors the Hunter-Gatherers. We must do this not only for present generations but also for future generations, and the long-term well-being of the Living Earth.
Our current worldview, along with our industrial, agricultural and mining systems have for some time now encountered a finite Living Earth. We know that the vitality of the Earth is declining every day. It simply cannot continue. At the same time, we know that we are part of a global awakening, a grassroots movement for change that is unprecedented in human history. So now that we know, the question is: “What part must we play in this unfolding story?” Where do we go from here?
The Living Earth (Article 3)
“This world is indeed a living being endowed with a soul and intelligence … a single visible living entity containing all other living entities, which by their nature are all related.” Plato.
Approximate Read Time: 3 Mins
It could be said that the deep purpose of our existence is to care for the Living Earth, and participate fully in its ancient and meaningful sacred unfolding of a kind of beauty.
The question is: Are we living in a world designed to keep us numb—a culture spiked with incessant doses of spiritual anaesthesia conditioning us to deaden our humanity, and adapt to the daily mindless routine? But it’s that very heartbreak that can free us from the trance that society sometimes imposes on us. The realization of our true nature and the agony of life’s destruction that is the result of direct and indirect human action are two sides of the same coin. that’s because, when we awaken to our true nature as humans on this beautiful but fragile Living Earth, when we share the life within ourselves with all other beings, then we recognize our common identity with all of life on Earth.
It could rightly be said that our ongoing dilemma is that we live on a finite Living Earth but behave as if it were inexhaustible. Indeed, we are engaged in an experiment that is certain to fail, one that is global in scale and is based on the hypothesis that unlimited growth is possible on the limited resources of Earth. If humankind holds on to the idea that more and more has to be produced in economic terms, then any progress that results, with regards to material wealth, is often offset in terms of damage to the Living Earth on which we depend for our very survival.
The inner life of the Living Earth can be described as interdependent .where each element is a coherent entity in its own right, while also an integral component of something larger. In an interdependent system the health of the system as a totality requires the flourishing of each part no matter how small. Here each living system is interdependent on the vitality of all the other systems making up the totality.
In relation to the Living Earth, issues at the lower level of the natural world affect its health at higher levels. When this principle of natural ecology is applied to human society, we see it as both grassroots self-autonomy and deep democracy.
In relation to the Living Earth it is very important that we pay attention to things like reconnection, re-enchantment, because in themselves it’s not the chemicals or the active principles generated in laboratories around the world that are going to cure the Earth. .
The Living Earth (Article 4)
Approximate Read Time:
2 Mins
“In what geochemists call the “critical zone” is the only layer of earth where terrestrial life can flourish. It’s in this finite space where everything we care for and everything we have ever encountered exists. At the moment we are living in an environment that we in so many ways has already altered irreversibly. If we have been made aware of the agency of viruses in shaping our social relations, we must now reckon with the fact that they will also be moulded for ever by the climate crisis and the quick reactions of ecosystems to our actions. It appears that all the resources of science, humanities and the arts will have to be mobilised once again to shift attention to our shared terrestrial condition.” Bruno Labour
A key element in protecting the world’s biodiversity is to extend our view of the world and move from a geo-mechanical worldview to a Living Earth worldview, a worldview that includes all life on Earth.
If we continue to degrade the world’s ecosystems then even if we cut CO2 emissions to zero life on Earth would still suffer. That is because it is interconnected life that maintains the conditions for life itself. It could be said that much of the climate crisis results from the direct disruption of ecosystems. It has been happening for millennia: drought and desertification have followed wherever humans have cut down forests and exposed soil to erosion. If we see the world simply as a resource for human consumption, we will continue to destroy it. However, if we see the world as something alive, we will learn how to help in its healing.
In fact, the world is in so many ways alive. The forests and reefs and wetlands are its organs. The waters are its blood. The soil is its skin, the animals its cells etc. If these lose their integrity life on Earth will wither away along with humankind. ‘Cure of the Earth’ expresses this idea of indigenous peoples’ approach to healing the natural world. It is the antidote, the development beyond capitalism through living in cooperation with nature. It is also about the stewardship of nature.
The Living Earth (Article 5)
Approximate Read Time:
2 Mins
It was with great sadness, yet hope, that I recall the death of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, (1948-2020) a compassionate and thoughtful human being who cared so much for humanity and the living planet. If only we had more humans like him the world would be a much better place. For Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “Just as the natural environment depends on biodiversity, so the human environment depends on cultural diversity because no one civilization encompasses all the spiritual, ethical, and artistic expressions of mankind.” Again: “Until our global institutions take a stand against the teaching and preaching of hate, all their efforts of diplomacy and military intervention will fail. Ultimately the responsibility is ours. Tomorrow’s world is born in what we teach our children today.” Again for Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “Just as the natural environment depends on biodiversity, so the human environment depends on cultural diversity because no one civilization encompasses all the spiritual, ethical, and artistic expressions of mankind.”
In order to highlight the devastating state of the planet, the WWF and Zoological Society of London (ZSL)’s ‘Living Planet Report ‘’ said global wildlife populations were in freefall, plunging by two-thirds in recent decades because of human activity regarding the Living Earth. As the Bankrolling Extinction report spells out, too many financial institutions contribute to biodiversity loss. Thankfully the clamour is growing for a new approach to investment. In short, the world's banks must start to value nature and stop funding its destruction. The scientific community has long been unequivocal about biodiversity destruction. Recently the UN reported that the world has failed to meet fully any of the 2020 Aichi biodiversity targets that countries agreed with fanfare way back in 2010. The Bankrolling Extinction report sadly found that biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate across the planet, and the pressures driving this decline are still intensifying at an alarming rate.
The Report found that financial institutions across the world provide the capital that is funding over-exploitation of the Living Earth, also putting global biodiversity at high risk. It seems that the world’s 50 biggest banks provided $2.6tn (£1.9tn) in loans and other credit to sectors of industry with a high negative impact on biodiversity across the world. Not a very clever or wise investment. The Bankrolling Extinction Report found that bank by bank, a cavalier ignorance of - or indifference to - the implication of their investments. Indeed, most of the banks seemed unaware of the damaging impact of their investments are having regarding the Living Earth’s biodiversity.
This article simply highlights the ignorance and arrogance of humankind, particularly those who see themselves ‘lords of the Earth’. Does it not occur to them, as it should to everyone, that the processes of life occurring in the top few centimetres of the Earth’s surface are indispensable to all life on land, including human life? The question then for us all, is: What happens if somehow all the microscopic life forms in this tiny layer of soil suddenly disappeared? Would humankind still be ‘masters of the land” claiming that we would continue to exist? Of course not, at least on the land. As for the oceans, here plankton are the basis of more complex and higher forms of life, so the question remains: What if all the plankton disappeared? How would we survive? How blind and arrogant must we become before the microscopic life on Earth, in its own way decides that enough is enough in relation to our disregard for the very life that sustains us?
Returning to a sense of awe concerning the Living Earth, it could be defined as an experience of such perceptual vastness that one would literally have to reconfigure, indeed upgrade their mental schemata, just to accommodate the scale of the experience. In many ways, we are a technological species, and given the growth of technology, we must ask: Are we spiralling out of control to the detriment of the natural world? We must rediscover our affiliation with the Living Earth that lies deep within the human mind, body, and spirit. The twin crises of climate change and the rapid loss of biodiversity threatens the very existence of humanity on Earth, but only if we fail to act. If we act now, we can still secure a better future for the Living Earth, its wildlife and ourselves.
“When the blood in your veins returns to the sea, and the earth in your bones returns to the ground, perhaps then you will remember that the Living Earth does not belong to you, it is you who belongs to the Living Earth.” Native-American saying.