The Planet Will Be Fine?

Lauren B. Jenks · Originally from Substack

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

It wasn’t the first time I had heard it. “I mean, the planet will be fine. It’s people who will die off. But, dinosaurs went extinct and the planet was fine. Maybe even better suited for the mammals and animals that came next.”

I can almost get on board.

Let’s leave for a moment the fact that I’m not really sure it’s true that the planet would be just fine after whatever apocalyptic events lead to the demise of humanity. And let’s come back later to the collateral damage to all the other species we’ll take with us to the end times.

The real reason I don’t find hope in this line of thinking is that I am attached to humanity. I think we matter.

I think it matters whether people live or die. I think it matters when people suffer, and it matters when people thrive.

I care about climate change because I care about people. I want to work for climate justice that makes this planet a place where all humans can thrive.