The strong arm of the law. The mighty sword of the army. Strength prevails! And with it goes the spoils. The strong make the decisions. Their choice lies with improving their lot. The fate of others lies with the winnowed sheaves.
Human beings pushed themselves to the top of the natural ladder. No other creature can cope with our abilities; can withstand our progress; can counter our choices.
The Earth’s 13 billion hectares of land surface lie under our dominion. We use 37% for agriculture. Forests account for 30% of the remainder, most being subject to our commercial forestry practices. Poor land such as the glacial surfaces of Antarctic and Greenland make over 30% of the remainder. In other words, we’ve usurped nearly all the productive land surface for our desires.
Where will our desires take us? How will other creatures and plants survive? They can’t spread out and capture energy from the Sun, there’s no land. Will this designer land cover dictate our future or nourish it?
AVHRR Data
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