As we look forward into the Anthropocene, and our estimated trajectory within it, I find myself thinking about the morality and judgment of humanity.
On Tuesday, October 4th, we discussed as a class the very real possibility of a mass die-off event in regards to our species. The prevailing idea was that it would be caused either by our own nuclear destruction, or by a serious lack of resources to sustain our still booming population.
The UN published a statistic that the world population will reach 8 billion on November 15th, 2022. The Earth has a maximum carrying capacity of 9-10 billion people, and the UN has estimated that the world population will reach at least 10.4 billion in the 2080s if current patterns continue. I find this to be a terrifying thought. Before I die, the Earth and its resources will no longer be able to support the entirety of humanity, let alone the other species on this planet.
So then what? Let’s assume the current models are correct and we run out of resources to harvest. What do we do then, when we still have 10.4 billion people to keep alive? The short answer is that not everyone will survive, and that’s where the morality of humanity will come into play.
This diagram is the current system from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for medically triaging adults.
The basic definition of triage, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is ‘the sorting and allocation of patients according to a system that will maximize the number of survivors’. Triaging is a subjective activity that is heavily influenced by a person’s morality, and there is never a ‘right’ answer. So how do we decide on a system when it comes time to distribute our limited resources? Who gets to decide? Who gets to play God with not only humanity, but with all life on Earth? Do we choose the youngest to live? Do we choose those with the skills to help us survive in the future? Do we choose based on economic class or profession? Will this become a genocide of a people or culture? Will minorities or those with disabilities be further exploited and abused and left to the side to die?
To be brutally honest, however this triage of resources happens, it won’t be fair. One group of people will have the power to decide and the rest will just have to hope they are chosen to live. And that thought is terrifying.
Inspirations and Citations for this post:
The UN article “World Population to Reach 8 Billion on 15 November 2022”
The diagram for triaging adults
“Playing God” a podcast by RadioLab released in 2016
DON’T PANIC by Hans Rosling