Voluntary Versus Involuntary Extinction

Trying to save the planet...

This blog is full of articles on the alarming and deteriorating state of our biosphere. Today, eight EU countries issued a statement calling for 25% of the EU budget to be spent on tackling climate change. They are France, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Even though the group is made up of less than a third of EU countries, the proposal sends a strong message to the world of the urgency of the situation.

Tacking the problem the VHEMT way

Is anyone listening? Is it too late? The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT) thinks that whatever the answer to those questions is, the best solution to the problem is the voluntary extinction of the human race. VHEMT was founded by Les Knight, an American environmentalist in the 1970s when he decided that as long as we were around, the planet could never be safe. The idea is terrifying, but let's face it, he has a point. In one of the videos on the VHEMT website we are compared to a cancer. It gets the message across clearly, as do many of the answers to some of  the typical objections to the proposal.

The Earth needs people to take its side

My main objection is that only conscientious people would consider not procreating to save the planet. Of course, many conscientious people would pursue other options, like UN-aligned, for instance. But let us assume that all people of good will opted for voluntary human extinction. Who would be left? The Trumps and Putins of this world. The selfish, the greedy and the uncaring. How would the world fair then? A lot worse, I expect. 

Involuntary human extinction may win the day

Nevertheless, while I propose staying on and fighting for a more balanced and sustainable world, I do not exclude the possibility that VHEMT will get it way. Only the extinction will not be voluntary. Rather it will be as a consequence of our stupidity. And with the billions of innocent lives that will be lost, billions more lifeforms will also perish. Some of them, however, will survive and the world may be full of song and colours again.