The trophic pyramid graphically demonstrates how a few number and variety of complex species rely upon a vast number of much simpler species. For example, a hawk soars over the countryside, peering across vast distances for the slightest motion perhaps of a scurrying mouse. The mouse remains close to its nest, occasionally making a dash for nearby seeds. The plants that produce the seed don’t move but simply grow and hopefully expand their territory by casting seeds about. Without the grass, the mouse and hawk disappear. What happens without the mouse and hawk?

The Census of Marine Life estimates that there are 80 to 90 percent fewer fish and marine mammals in the ocean than from 2000 years ago. People have effectively consumed the top of the ocean’s trophic pyramid. Now, species at the lower levels live longer lives. But, any service provided by the predators, such as thinning out the weak and old, no longer occurs. Further, the energy and nutrients within the species’ body no longer climbs up the trophic pyramid to the avail of complex species like humans.

The radical alteration in oceanic life parallels the changes occurring on land. Natural selection no longer prevails in evolution. Abundant energy sources like vast fields of grain no longer provide a niche for an evolving species. Everything is focused upon the sustenance of humankind. Where will this evolution take us and our civilization?

We consume energy in some very innocuous ways. Typical daily hygiene requires us to brush our teeth 2 to 3 times each day. Our tool for this is a plastic toothbrush with nylon bristles. Plastic is a petroleum by-product. Petroleum, as we all know, is our choice energy source for over a third of our primary energy sources.

A toothbrush consists of about 12 grams of plastic. Plastic has an energy density of about 46 Joules per gram. People of the United States use about 459 million brushes every year. So, this country deposits 2.53e11 Joules annually for toothbrushes. The first modern, nylon toothbrush was made in 1938. Thus, we can estimate that they’ve allocated nearly 1.7e13 Joules for clean teeth since then.

At one time, toothbrushes were made of wood. Wood has an energy content of about 20 MJ/kilogram. Assume that the energy density is similar to plastic. Then, to replace plastic, they’d need 12 000 kilograms of wood every year. That’s a lot of trees.