Negative feelings about “others” seem almost baked into our genes. I grew up around people who routinely disparaged Blacks, Mexicans, Jews, and homosexuals. Slurs were common. Even now, decades later, I wince a bit when I hear someone referred to as a Mexican, even when they are Mexican. If we could pile up all the disparaging terms and all our prejudices toward other nationalities, races, creeds, religions, genders, sexual orientations, every word, act, and prejudice, it would be a mountain of ugliness. It would be a mountain that we would be wise to try and bulldoze flat. And if we do ever flatten that mountain, one much higher will remain.
On top of the disparagements of minorities and those outside the main stream we grow up hearing, are those using animals. She’s a pig. He’s a snake. Chicken, ass, worm, crab, hippo. She’s an animal. He’s an animal. They’re animals. These disparagements rest on our near universal opinion that there is a hierarchy that puts humans at the top of some sort of scale of value. We do this to other humans as well; at times it has been used as a justification for slavery, internment, and caste. Those in power always see themselves at the apex of some pyramid of importance and value. Acting on that belief has had costly consequences.
We are in the sixth mass extinction event. Unlike the previous five, this one is caused by the overgrowth of a single species, Homo sapiens. Although the episode is often viewed as an unusually fast (in evolutionary time) loss of species, it is much more threatening, because beyond that loss, it is causing rapid mutilation of the tree of life, where entire branches (collections of species, genera, families, and so on) and the functions they perform are being lost. It is changing the trajectory of evolution globally and destroying the conditions that make human life possible. It is an irreversible threat to the persistence of civilization and the livability of future environments for H. sapiens. Instant corrective actions are required.We wouldn’t be facing mass extinction if we were nicer and more kind to the other animals. We may already be too late to save very many humans; which of us might survive will be a matter of luck. Our only real hope is a planet-wide decision to halt our exploitation of animals. That seems unlikely, but all of us have the option of embracing a low-impact vegan life style. We could, if we choose to, take personal steps to slow, maybe even reverse, this otherwise likely calamity.
Mutilation of the tree of life via mass extinction of animal genera Gerardo Ceballos https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8374-2656 gceballo@ecologia.unam.mx and Paul R. Ehrlich https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8753-9292
Authors Info and Affiliations
Contributed by Gerardo Ceballos; received May 2, 2023; accepted July 31, 2023; reviewed by Gregory P. Asner and David Tilman September 18, 2023 120 (39) e2306987120 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306987120
But maybe, if we look at the big picture and consider the gazillions of animals who would thrive if humans were no longer around, maybe it would be best if we ignore or deride the predicted likely future. If we do nothing to avoid the worse case scenario, many animals are likely to benefit.
It seems to come down to this: If you want humanity will survive, you’ll have to embrace veganism. You’ll have to limit yourself to having only one child, or better, none. You’ll have to avoid air travel. You should plant a vegetable garden and dramatically reduce your consumption of almost all commercial products. If possible, bicycle rather than drive. Use mass transit. Reduce, reuse, and recycle.
It seems likely that few of us will do very many of these things, and in a twisted sort of way, for the animals, maybe that’s a good thing.