“The Planet Is Fine, The People Are Fucked”

Even though I don’t care for nature and its constant state of murder and predation, I’m in favor of Earth Day in particular and environmentalism in general, believing that focus on alternative energy methods can reduce carbon emissions greatly–perhaps entirely. That might save you and I. But as George Carlin pointed out, we probably should rename this day since the Earth will be fucking fine without us. It would be even better. We’re the only ones we’re endangering with our profligate behavior. Let’s not be arrogant.

From Walter Cronkite’s coverage of the First Earth Day in 1970, footage of Paul Ehrlich, whose dire prediction of a “population bomb” that brought near-term famine, plague and thermonuclear war, proved incorrect. 

“Saving endangered species is just one more arrogant attempt by humans to control nature.”