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i mention all this to make the point that if you were designing an organism to look after lifein our lonely cosmos; to monitor where it is going and keep a record of where it has been; youwouldn鈥檛 choose human beings for the job。
but here鈥檚 an extremely salient point: we have been chosen; by fate or providence orwhatever you wish to call it。 as far as we can tell; we are the best there is。 we may be allthere is。 it鈥檚 an unnerving thought that we may be the living universe鈥檚 supreme achievementand its worst nightmare simultaneously。
because we are so remarkably careless about looking after things; both when alive andwhen not; we have no idea鈥攔eally none at all鈥攁bout how many things have died offpermanently; or may soon; or may never; and what role we have played in any part of theprocess。 in 1979; in the book the sinking ark; the author norman myers suggested thathuman activities were causing about two extinctions a week on the planet。 by the early 1990she had raised the figure to some six hundred per week。 (that鈥檚 extinctions of all types鈥攑lants; insects; and so on as well as animals。) others have put the figure even higher鈥攖o wellover a thousand a week。 a united nations report of 1995; on the other hand; put the totalnumber of known extinctions in the last four hundred years at slightly under 500 for animalsand slightly over 650 for plants鈥攚hile allowing that this was 鈥渁lmost certainly anunderestimate;鈥潯articularly with regard to tropical species。 a few interpreters think mostextinction figures are grossly inflated。
the fact is; we don鈥檛 know。 don鈥檛 have any idea。 we don鈥檛 know when we started doingmany of the things we鈥檝e done。 we don鈥檛 know what we are doing right now or how ourpresent actions will affect the future。 what we do know is that there is only one planet to do iton; and only one species of being capable of making a considered difference。 edward o。
wilson expressed it with unimprovable brevity in the diversity of life: 鈥渙ne planet; oneexperiment。鈥
if this book has a lesson; it is that we are awfully lucky to be here鈥攁nd by 鈥渨e鈥潯 meanevery living thing。 to attain any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite anachievement。 as humans we are doubly lucky; of course: we enjoy not only the privilege ofexistence but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even; in a multitude of ways; tomake it better。 it is a talent we have only barely begun to grasp。
we have arrived at this position of eminence in a stunningly short time。 behaviorallymodern human beings鈥攖hat is; people who can speak and make art and organize plexactivities鈥攈ave existed for only about 0。0001 percent of earth鈥檚 history。 but surviving foreven that little while has required a nearly endless string of good fortune。
we really are at the beginning of it all。 the trick; of course; is to make sure we never findthe end。 and that; almost certainly; will require a good deal more than lucky breaks。
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