BOOK REPORT: HALF-EARTH by E.O. WILSON

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THIS IS AN IMPORTANT BOOK, an informative book, but in the end a somewhat disappointing one. It is important because it reminds us that we need to pay more attention to the world around us, if only because our very survival depends on it.  We need to attend to our actions, attitudes and our lifestyles, Wilson tells us. We live in a garden of infinite mystery and wonder, though we rarely take the time to look at a sunrise, let alone consider the complexity and achievements of, say, a spider and its web or to take the example of the Desulforudis audaxviator microbe that exists over two miles beneath the surface of the earth, to understand its genetics and habitat adaptations.
E. O Wilson’s marvelous book sharpens our focus and gives us a perspective on the awesome structure of life on Earth that we share with millions of species of plants and animals. A biologist by training and a myrmecologist (someone who studies ants) by choice, Wilson provides an overview of the network of life on earth from the microbial to the largest terrestrial and aquatic creatures in existence, but make no mistake, his book is a cautionary one, challenging us to confront the fact that, as it stands today, human activity threatens the lives of millions of the earth’s species. He calls on us to make changes now or  else future generations may find they exist on a planet with an impoverished and unhealthy array of flora and fauna, a grey world that is a place no longer fit for man nor beast.

It’s an informative book because Wilson brings the sciences of ecology, genetics and geology alive with his gifted prose and breadth of knowledge. He says:

“The simplicity of the material and energy cycle reminds us that there exist organisms able to establish themselves almost anywhere [he discusses lifeforms in Antarctica]. But as humanity scales down Earth’s ecosystems, life will become progressively less interesting and more difficult to turn into a support system.” (150)

He provides the reader with information on the life-cycles, genetic makeup and histories of nematodes, E. coli, elephants and rain-forests and a host of other species and ecologies. For me, his book beautifully illustrates how deeply connected we are to “all creatures, great and small” and they with us, and how we need them to survive and thrive. One important take-away for me was his examination of the science of ecology and how little, in fact, we know about the connections between the flora and fauna in a particular ecosystem (or in a local “biome”) and their importance for the proper functioning of that system. For example, in coral reefs, single-celled microorganisms called zooxanthellae inhabit the calcareous structures, but they exist there within a specific range of temperatures.

“With as little as 1^○C warming of the water, or a small increase in its acidity, both of which are caused by human actions, the zooxanthellae emigrate from their host calcareous organism, taking their colors and photosynthesis with  them, the potentially suicidal process called coral bleaching.” (68)

Yet the true complexity of coral reefs is barely understood, he says. Wilson provides other fascinating and helpful examples of the rich diversity of life that most of us fail to notice or understand. He tells us that unless we adopt a different attitude toward our world, the path we are currently on will increasingly darken.

Where I find Wilson’s book less helpful and even disappointing is in his ending chapters, his “solutions” section, where he outlines the things we can do to prevent this calamitous loss of biodiversity. His prescription to increase the amount of protected wild lands and waters through greatly expanded conservation efforts, and for the establishment of nature preserves is admirable and something that is emotionally appealing and makes a whole lot of sense. One thing that the new science of ecology tells us is that ecosystems need adequate physical space in order to keep healthy."Diversity" is the name of the game; keeping interconnections between species functioning, is the key.

If you are out in the middle of the ocean in a boat that is leaking, whose sails are tattered and whose timbers are rotting, and you don’t take steps to repair and maintain the floating structure you’re on, well then it’s “glub-glub!” time for you, and just deserts for your neglect and stupidity!

So, broad swaths of land (and sea) that join along various latitudes and with natural isthmuses to create “corridors” so that plant, animal, insect and microbial life may move freely to establish and maintain themselves is needed. Such initiatives are critical if we are to keep the earth's ecosystems healthy and save millions of threatened and endangered lifeforms from extinction. Whether there is the political will for such projects remains to be seen. Wilson is optimistic:

“In a world gaining so swiftly in biotechnology and rational capability, it is entirely reasonable to envision a global network of inviolable reserves that cover half the surface of Earth.” (209) [italics mine]

He points out that we have lost so much already. But he also stresses, and this is another interesting perspective the reader gains from his book, there are literally millions of additional species of life that we have yet to discover. The sciences of taxonomy, biology, ecology, geology and so on have so much left to reveal! He urges us to save what is left. He asks whether our “instinct for true altruism” (209) can guide us toward an ecological awareness of our place here on earth, and move us to adopt ways of living that are more harmonious and less harmful to ourselves and all the biomes we call home. His final two chapters are devoted to possible solutions.
And here I was disappointed in particular: He mentions the science of genetics and of growing GMO plants, of expanding research into crops that can better face the coming changes in global climate, and of growing “meat” from bacteria in vats (“synthetic biology”) as a way of reducing the harmful ecological impacts of factory farming. I think he right to point out the rapacious and ultimately lethal aspects of “extensive” economic growth, with its mantra of infinite growth on a finite planet, and the need to replace it with what he calls “intensive” economic growth. He refers here to an increase in per-capita output, i.e. increased efficiency in our industrial and commercial enterprises. In other words, he feels that by using IT, nano-technology, super-computers, robotics and AI that these will make us more efficient and thus be able to ‘do more with less’. That seems to make a good deal of sense, but I am skeptical of solutions that involve the use of complex and sophisticated technologies to solve our problems. But Wilson sees technology as a key component in his program to drastically reduce the human “footprint” on the planet.

“With innovation and effort, we will find a way to steer through the climate-change crisis without having to resort to the gargantuan and dangerous programs of geoengineering now being discussed.” (194)  

Additionally, he sees advancements in super-computing and AI as ways of understanding the human mind and how the mind’s biochemical makeup guides our way, for good or ill, in the world, and how, if only we understood ourselves better, we would come to make rational and less destructive decisions as a species. Which is a heartfelt and hopeful proposition, but there are a lot of roadblocks in the way of achieving this type of consciousness.

Here’s a quote I like from his conclusions:

“It is often said that the human brain is the most complex system known to us in the universe. That is incorrect. The most complex is the individual natural ecosystem and the collectivity of ecosystems comprising the Earth’s species-level biodiversity.” (206)

"I am the H.A.L 9000. You may call me Hal."

His ending chapters discuss improvement in human consciousness in some detail—considerable detail, actually—emphasizing or suggesting that we can speed up this process and strengthen our “instinct for true altruism” (209) via advances in computing and brain science. In this chapter, he concludes that our understanding of ecology is grossly inadequate and that we have barely scratched the surface. Ecological science, he says, is in its infancy. Detailed studies of the life-cycles and genetics of most species are vast libraries yet to be filled. Thus, understanding the intricate connections between the myriad lifeforms in each biome, let alone in the larger ecosystems of our planet, is a vast and all but undertaken project, with only the most tentative of beginnings made. But his faith in the development of sophisticated technologies such as advanced “quantum” computing, AI and “super computers”, while compelling, is, I feel, ultimately misplaced, and to me seems more like a “hail-Mary pass” or a last-ditch effort. Equally, his call for the adoption of “a transcendent moral precept concerning the rest of life” (212) is admirable and something that resonates with me personally, but is too much like saying: people should be the way I feel they should be. His hope that we will develop our rational minds to the extent we will come to choose what’s best for us and for the planet leaves many social and psychological factors unaddressed. While I personally feel this is possible, I think this is something that will happen over an evolutionary, or at least millennial time-scale and not in a kind of ‘fourth-turning’ one-off event, or in short time frame. We are the children of chimps with slightly bigger brains than our not-so-distant ancestors, still possessing most of their instincts and traits, and most days we're content to just stand around scratching our asses.

Ultimately, I feel it will be by failures in our economic and political systems, by climate change disruptions, as well as by pressures of over-population, growing social disorder, ecological collapses and perhaps the arrival of one or more of The Four Horsemen that will be the ultimate arbiters of our conduct. We will have a change in consciousness and a greater awareness of our place in the web of creation only though a hard-won and difficult struggle. There can be technological advances to aid us but ultimately we cannot rely on technology to save us.

"Monkey-Butt Scratch" c. 2019

In the end, a great deal will have to change, and while it may be true that “a change is as good as a rest”, my cynical self says that for the most part, and for most of us, we will have to be “dragged kicking and screaming into the future", as American writer James Howard Kunstler is wont to say. And most of us (myself included) are unprepared for the changes that will arrive (and, really, are here now) in the coming years. There is much that we can do to mitigate the effects of climate change; to save species and biomes, to make our societies more equitable and sustainable and so on, but ultimately we will have to face the consequences for our actions.

Filtered? Or just passing through?

There is a scientific theory ("Fermi's Paradox") that goes something like this: In the vastness of the universe, with myriad possibilities for life, and with the mathematical probability a near certainty that higher forms such as humanity exist elsewhere in space, just where is the evidence that this is true? Where is the evidence for extra-terrestrial space-travel, for example? One line of thinking suggests that as a civilization develops higher and higher levels of technology, it critically impacts its biosphere by demanding more natural resources than the biosphere can renew, and eventually the civilization collapses due to overreach and environmental degradation. Or it develops technology like nuclear power and blows itself to bits. This critical 'bottleneck' point that a civilization reaches is called the “The Great Filter”. It’s a time and place, and a process the civilization must go through to get to the other side, to survive itself. The theory goes that most civilizations on those distant worlds we dream of don’t make it. Which is why we never hear from them ("ET call home!") They implode or explode, or more optimistically, they downgrade their expectations, adopt technologies that don't involve building rocket ships to distant stars, and instead learn to live sustainably on the only homes they will ever know. Perhaps some do, but we’ve yet to have any evidence of them, UFOs and Area 51 notwithstanding.*

Here on Little Blue, we are approaching such a bottleneck and are about to face our own Great Filter. I think we can make it through to the other side; it’s just possible, but it will be one heck of a tight squeeze. 
Cheers.

Iggs

    *An excellent read for you SiFi buffs is John Michael Greer's tale of the distant future: Star's Reach. You might find it a bit different from the usual fare. (Iggs liked it!)