From 8000 BC to 1650 AD human population went from 10,000,000 to 500 million, then, in a 350 year heartbeat, to over SIX BILLION in the present, growing by over 100 million every year. The impact of a bio-mass of humanity this great is enormous. It changes weather patterns, pollutes oceans and rivers, destroys rainforests, and precipitated the greatest mass extinction of living things since the age of dinosaurs.

Nevertheless, in relation to the total length of our stay on the planet, this devistation is taking place in the blink of an eye, and shows no real sign of slowing. What's going on? It may well be that UNLIMITED GROWTH & DESTRUCTIVE DOMINATION of the environment is INTRINSICALLY part of the novel way of life we have so recently adopted. Perhaps there is no possibility of halting this destructive growth within the dynamics of this Way.

Finding other Ways to follow that are more in harmony with the fragile realities of our home planet is certainly the most important challenge the human race has ever faced.

So what do we do now?

"Civilizations are not terminals but wayside camps, pitched at sunset and broken at dawn
so that they can travel on again."

Laurens van der Post
A BRIEF HISTORY
OF THE HUMAN SPECIES AS REVEALED BY POPULATION GROWTH. (THE RED LINE AT THE BOTTOM OF GRAPH) BEAR IN
MIND THAT RECENT revisions by cultural anthropologists of the nature of hunter-gatherer societies paint a very different picture than the image in popular consciousness: They emerge "not as primitive brutes but as typically well nourished, noticeably free of anxiety about their next meal, and blessed with an abundance of free time. They possesed complex mythologies, elegant arts and keen minds, and were the original affluent society. "Long ago they evolved life-patterns that maintained a relatively stable population and a balance with the rest of Gaia's inhabitants. A few survivors of this original culture still exist, but global Monoculture is dedicated to the complete assimilation and/or annihilation of all peoples non-compliant to ITS world-outlook. SCROLL RIGHT to get the big picture.
TIME 810,000 BC 800,000 BC 790,000 BC 780,000 BC 770,000 BC 760,000 BC 750,000 BC 740,000 BC 730,000 BC 720,000 BC 710,000 BC 700,000 BC 690,000 BC 680,000 BC 670,000 BC 660,000 BC 650,000 BC 640,000 BC 630,000 BC 620,000 BC 610,000 BC 600,000 BC 590,000 BC 580,000 BC 570,000 BC 560,000 BC 550,000 BC 540,000 BC 530,000 BC 520,000 BC 510,000 BC 500,000 BC 490,000 BC 480,000 BC 470,000 BC 460,000 BC 450,000 BC 440,000 BC 430,000 BC 420,000 BC 410,000 BC 400,000 BC 390,000 BC 380,000 BC 370,000 BC 360,000 BC 350,000 BC 340,000 BC 330,000 BC 320,000 BC 310,000 BC 300,000 BC 290,000 BC 280,000 BC 270,000 BC 250,000 BC 250,000 BC 240,000 BC 230,000 BC 220,000 BC 210,000 BC 200,000 BC 190,000 BC 180,000 BC 170,000 BC 160,000 BC 150,000 BC 140,000 BC 130,000 BC 120,000 BC 110,000 BC 100,000 BC 90,000 BC 80,000 BC 70,000 BC 60,000 BC 50,000 BC 40,000 BC 30,000 BC 20,000 BC 10,000 BC 0 10,000 AD
The famous "J-Curve"