Ever dreamed of what it would be like to launch into space and witness firsthand what earth looks like from all the way up there?

A fascinating video was recently released by Globaia showcasing just that. Now I admit, whilst it may not be the same as being up there in the vast galaxies yourself, it’s probably the closest most of us mere mortals will get unless Virgin Galactic offers some seriously discounted sale flights. That is of course, unless you were willing to remortgage your house. Then sure. Go book yourself a ticket.

 

For those other folk of us who aren’t willing to trade our organs on the black market for a seat on Branson’s jet, this does give you a pretty good idea in the mean time. Watch it here.

 

The imagery is rather breathtaking, don’t you think?

 

But wait a second, can we just revisit the title… can we just take a moment to let this sink in?! Direct your attention to the title again. Read it slowly, “Watch a stunning video of humanity’s effect on Earth.”

 

Two words really jump out at me here. Stunning and effect. Then throw humanity in there and you may start to wonder, is this a good thing or a bad thing? I mean, what we have here is a perfect example of light pollution to the max if you are ever looking for a definition! It’s rather alarming. Our impact on this earth, do we consider this to be a thing of beauty or something to cringe at. When I first watched this video, I admit, I was in awe. Then it sunk in. This thought struck me like a bolt of lightening. Sure, we can sit back and applaud our amazing accomplishments; our technological and industrial advancements and how far we’ve come as a human race. It’s only natural that we’ve ‘impacted’ the earth in this sense and no doubt, supporting a population of nearly 7 billion is no small feat. When you look at it like that, then our impact on the planet was inevitable. Can we leave at that though? No, I don’t think we can. For we are not the only citizens residing on this planet. Consider the number of species, both plant and animal, that have become extinct from man’s direct impact. We are talking in the thousands here.

 

So I did some ground work (courtesy of other people doing the groundwork first of course). Have you ever considered would happen to the planet if humans simply no longer existed? What would happen to the earth if we suddenly vanished? Kapooosh! Just like that… gone. Neither here nor there. Nada.

 

This documentary provides that start contrast. A little imagination, coupled with some grounded science, goes a long way to present to us this ‘what if’ scenario. Now, whilst I don’t like entertaining ‘what if’ scenarios (I think those kind of questions are for the most part, enough to send any sane person to the crazy person’s asylum), I do think that this raises other questions about who really rules this planet. Enter this notion of Man vs Wild.

 

Our actions far too often appear to be driven by this insatiable desire to conquer. History repeats itself over and over with civilizations setting out to command and conquer, and this is even amongst our own kind! On the other hand, the animal kingdom leans towards a behavior of survival above all else. Man acts as though our sole purpose in life is to gain mastery over the planet. We are always at war with nature, are we not? Kill the weeds, kill the pests, chop down the trees, kill this, kill that. To build and build, to plunder and claim, and to build some more while we’re at it. Why oh why are we like this? Take a look around at the damage we’ve done to this planet in the process.

 

Now I am making sweeping generalizations here about ‘man’, as no doubt many a tribe and culture and people attempt and are living at peace with nature in a respectful, humble and sustaining manner. For the most part though, I do think, we’ve gone wrong somewhere. We’ve held onto this concept of Man vs Wild. We must have dropped the little pamphlet that God was handing out when He created the world with the instructions of how to be good stewards of this planet.

There’s no denying that we were endowed with the guardianship rights over earth and all that was created to live on this earth, including the creatures of the oceans, the seas and the land (Gen. 1:26-28). But it doesn’t end there. In doing so, God also granted us with the responsibility to tend to the needs of the world (Gen 2:15). To nurture and care for it. You might jovially (or seriously) ask, why the hell would He do such a thing like that? He did this in our best interests. How can we be a part of a world and thrive as a people unless we learn to care for it? And how can you care for something that you have no understanding of?

So what He did was give Adam the freedom to gain this understanding of nature by allowing him the right to name the animals. Adam came to understand the animals, he studied them and as he did, he named them. Adam was our first Ecologist! The Greek origins of the word Ecology is “oiko = house” + “logos = the study of”. As humans on this planet, we must consider the earth as our home. It is just that afterall, isn’t it? Therefore, we are stewards of our house! Well, that makes sense. But do you treat it like it were your house though?

 

It is through ecology that we have come to understand and appreciate the interconnectedness of man with nature. I do believe that this is an innate desire within each and everyone of us; to feel connected to this world, to feel a part of it. This gives our existence meaning. Can I get all nerdy and “Avatar” on you for a second. You know how the Na’vi warriors have an admirable respect for Mother Nature and its creatures? They gave thanks for everything. They understood that they were merely a small piece in the bigger picture. They understood that they weren’t the be all and end all. Well, as should our attitude be. The world can quite simply go on living without us. God made the natural world to be a self-sustaining environment. He didn’t have to create us. But He did. He did because He wanted to. And that, my friends, is a story for another time. For now, let’s not sidetrack me from the point of this article.

 

“All men are economists in the sense that all are managers of their part of the household of earth. He realizes that he cannot live in greed and careless over consumption of food, energy, and other resources without adversely affecting his neighbor and the other creatures. Because of the ecological and economic interconnectedness that exists around the world, the demands of one person’s lifestyle can have an impact upon the lives of many others.” (Source)

 

Yes, we have been given this right to rule the world, so to speak. We have been blessed with a life-supporting environment for ourselves to flourish and multiply within, but, and a bit BUT, under the conditions that we tend to it and maintain it. But where we plunder the earth, where we strip it of its ability to regenerate and sustain itself in its natural way; we have placed our own interests before life itself. In doing so, we are inadvertently jeopardising our own quality of life and our own futures. So why do we compromise all this? Why mess with the most intricate and technically designed network of life – the ecosystem – that was so perfectly and purposefully created? Oh, what was that? Because we could do a better job? *enter sarcasm* Yeah, clearly.

 

We underestimate the very power of nature itself sometimes. I mean, who shudders in fear at the thought of the countless natural disasters that have befallen man throughout history. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, bushfires… the list goes on.

 

If humans were wiped from this planet, the planet would take a step back. Essentially, ‘de-evolution’ would take place in every sense of the word if there were ever such a word. Essentially, domesticated animals would revert to the behaviours of their wild forefathers, or otherwise die out due to nature’s rule of survival of the fittest. Agricultural crop would be overrun by weeds without its nurturer their to care for it. Vegetation would eventually return to its natural ‘wild’ state where it can once again fend for itself by utilising its own natural self-defense mechanisms.  Nature has an undeniable power to self-sustain itself if not messed with. If you’ve ever seen the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat in person, you’d understand the power of nature to overcome man-made creations. The trees appear to be swallowing the fortress whole. It’s incredible how nature has reclaimed its place amongst a ruined civilization.

 

I once lived in an old and unstable suburban ‘cottage’ (for lack of better word). I mean, what else do you call a little house made of timber that was too old for its day, falling to bits and with a hideous aqua-blue paint job that was peeling like a tanning session gone bad after a day at the beach? The house even had a name – ‘Hillcrest’. I’m sure, in its prime, the owners felt evoked to exhibit their endearment towards their humble abode with this plaque. Had they seen what mess it had been left to at the time I lived there as a tenant, I’m sure they would have gnashed their teeth.  I swear the bathtub was about to drop through the decaying floorboards each time I showered. So each shower I said my last prayer.

 

We also had a ‘charming’ (yet rather alarming) overgrowth of vines up the side of the house. We soon discovered we weren’t the only inhabitants of the house. Besides the never-ending plague of black ants, geckos and bugs of all sorts, a wasp nest began causing us grief. We decided a task force was needed to eliminate this risk. The vines had to go. They were harboring dangerous wildlife. As we commenced this mission, the culprit vine proved more relentless than initially perceived. As we commenced our mission and the wasps swarmed in a fury of anger for being disturbed, we suffered one causality. It looked like a hopeless scenario as we came to realize just how entwined the vines had become with the structure. At this point, we risked tearing down the very foundations of the house! No kidding, nature had taken over. We dared not risk the collapsing of the house. So while we left the vine to live, I got out of that lease as soon as possible. It wasn’t a very comforting thought going to bed each night imagining the house toppling over.

 

If you want to hear of a story of natural resilience, take a look at the city of Prypiat. You know the one. It was devastated by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and has been abandoned ever since. It’s a ghost town where nature has reclaimed its place some nearly 20 years on. The 10km ‘dead zone’ surrounding the power plant was striped of natural life immediately following the nuclear accident. Years on, however, nature has proven its resilience as biodiversity has remarkably increased although the tell tale effects of radiation are obvious, such as stunted growth. Immunity and tolerance to the radiological effects is not fully understood by scientists as some flora and fauna have grown to thrive on a level that is unseen outside of the contaminated zone. The wild boar has repopulated the area in levels of up to 15% higher than elsewhere. Red Deer, storks, beavers and eagles continue to breed. Nature has a strange way of restoring itself against all odds.

 

Yet another living example of a natural landscape thriving without human interference is the demilitarized zone (otherwise referred to as the DMZ) which splits North Korea from South Korea. This 155-mile-long and 2-mile-wide buffer zone remains untouched by humans for 60 years. The red-crowned crane is one of the rarest birds in the world; fewer than 3,000 survive in the wild and it is living freely alongside the likes of the white-naped Crane, the Amur Leopard, the Korean Tiger, and the Asiatic black bear. In fact, it has been identified by ecologists that over 2,900 plant species are living in abundance within the buffer zone. When I visited the DMZ some years back, looking out over the eery landscape leaves the imagination to wonder. I entertained the thought of what nature could reclaim from my very own city and its surrounds if humans were to suddenly vacate.

 

We cannot deny the power of nature to take command and thrive under incomprehensible scenarios. We are quick to give credit to ourselves and yet we ignore the amazing creation of the natural world around us. Our buildings would fall and crumble if left to their own devices. Isn’t it about time we took a leaflet out of nature’s book and started paying attention to what works and what does not. What is self-sustaining? What will take us forward in the years to come? Isn’t it about time we started taking responsibility for our place as stewards to this world?

 

So I leave you with this thought. Our homes are our homes. Our homes are within our cities which make our cities our home. Our cities are within our countries which make our countries our home. Our countries are all part of this planet which makes this planet our home.

 

How can you help tend to our home as the good steward that you are?

 

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