'Loose Talk'
By Benjamin Benedict

Survivor

I have seen two television programmes based on the presumption that world events will lead to our extinction. This is based on one of two arguments. The first is simply that 99.9% of all life forms become extinct. The second is that we seem to be doing everything in our power to make the first proposition come true.

Given our present situation, this seems entirely reasonable. We shall run out of just about everything in the next fifty to a hundred years, which must lead to the mother of all wars, mass anarchy and mass starvation. It is almost impossible for me to honestly believe that we shall find a way out of this mess without a great deal more human misery than already exists in the world, let alone the heart-rending (because it is so blameless) suffering inflicted on the creatures of the natural world. Nevertheless, can we assume that this forthcoming catastrophe will wipe our species off the planet? I am inclined to think that at least some of us will survive.

There must be a multitude of groups and families who have stored many years worth of survival supplies in areas capable of keeping a significant number of people alive for an indefinite period. Even if the world is turned into a nuclear cinder, the resilience of Homo sapiens must not be underrated, and my bet would be that if any mammal survives, it would be us.

It is nice to think of a lucky few left to inherit this world of ours, benefiting from much of today’s technology, without our overwhelming numbers to compromise their resources, but that is also extremely unlikely. Much more probable is an immense amount of hardship being the survivor’s lot for very many generations to come. Their numbers would simply be too small to be able to generate many of the ‘essentials’ that we take for granted today.

The reason for writing any of this is the certainty that something catastrophic is on the way. As soon as we stand back, take a look at our numbers and what it would need to provide us all with what would universally be called a ‘minimum’ standard of living then the hopelessness of the task becomes clear, particularly given the ever growing scarcity of non-renewable recourses. As far as energy is concerned, we should be able to get by with a combination of nuclear fission, hydrogen fuel cells, solar, wind, hydro, and the present mix of carbon based products, until finally in fifty years or so nuclear fusion comes on stream, providing a virtually unlimited, non-polluting energy source. However, there seems no possibility of the worlds farming, forestry and fishery sources providing anything like the minimum sustenance that our huge numbers demand. They have already started to provide less, not more than before, and inevitably these precious commodities will continue to diminish as we continue to overstretch the supply chain.

Only perhaps in Scandinavia, could a politician run on a platform that would have the slightest chance of addressing these massive issues, and I only pray that I am long gone before things get too messy. I am in no way equipped to survive in the shadowy times that lie ahead. But this is where we are indeed different to the 99% of extinct species which have gone before us. Crucially, we do not all act and think alike.

Hail to the survivors! May they learn from our crass stupidity and cherish their inheritance, however hard-won it may be.

             

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