Homo Sapiens facing life or death
I read in EL PAÍS: “Men are going to have trouble being fertile in barely a decade, if they continue at this rate: the number of spermatozoa per ejaculation has not stopped falling for almost a century. Their concentration has also fallen to less than half of what it was 50 years ago, approaching the threshold of infertility. And the rate of decline has accelerated so far this century, doubling. These are the alarming figures from a study of 53 countries. The authors of the research have not delved into the causes, but they point to certain lifestyle habits and exposure to chemical pollutants from the foetus onwards” (Miguel Ángel Criado, 15 November 2022).
A year ago, palaeontologist, evolutionary biologist and publisher Henry Gee wrote: “Homo sapiens might therefore already be a dead species walking”. He announced its gradual collapse from the year 2100 onwards, and pointed to some of the many signs, such as lack of genetic variation, plummeting birth rates, pollution and the stress of life in overcrowded cities.
Luke’s gospel puts these words into Jesus’ mouth: “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, at once you say that it is going to rain —and it does. And when you feel the south wind blowing, you say that it is going to get hot —and it does. You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; why, then, don’t you know the meaning of this present time?” (Lk 1:54-57).
On the horizon of these times, and a few hours after the decision – or indecision – taken by almost 200 States at COP27 to remedy the damage caused by climate change without eliminating its cause, I see very serious question marks on the horizon: Could it be that Homo Sapiens wants to and cannot survive? Or is it that it neither wants to nor can? Is it that, for its own sake and for the sake of the Earth, it is not worth surviving unless it really decides to adopt the global measures – which are within its reach – to really want and be able to live, namely to be more human and brotherly, more good and happier?
Aizarna, 20 November 2022