HUMANITY: ARE WE HARD WIRED FOR DESTRUCTION?

Last year was the hottest in 2000 years. Floods, wildfires and droughts caused by climate change are already displacing millions of people from their homes. The number of ‘climate refugees’ could exceed one billion by 2050 if present trends continue. And war and famine remain.

But far from more global collaboration to address climate change and achieve peace, the world is heading in the opposite direction, with wars raging in the Ukraine and Gaza being the sharpest expression of this, climate change agreements routinely binned, and companies like BP investing vastly more into oil and gas than low-carbon energy.

Is this intrinsic to our species or is it socio political? Throughout history, Homo sapiens have exhibited a seemingly unethical pattern of ecological destruction, driving countless species into extinction. Is this a “natural” inclination towards exploiting resources without considering the long-term? Or are the primary drivers behind humanity's destructive impact on the environment our systems of governance and economic structures that prioritize profit and growth above all else?

Let’s debate all perspectives. We almost certainly won’t all agree, but hopefully we can gain an understanding of the root causes of environmental destruction.