ABSTRACT
For millennia, humans attained more understanding and control over natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and various diseases – to, at least, mitigate their worst effects. Now, we’re faced with myriad threats of our own making, such as the climate emergency, nuclear proliferation, and food insecurity. In addressing these, the main obstacle may be the divisions of various kinds that hinder our collaboration. Phenomena like droughts, changing jet streams, wildfires, and related events that are literally ‘earth shattering’, are inexorably on the rise. Given the precedent for species extinction, including those close to Homo sapiens like the Neanderthals, the prospect is not fanciful. But is the risk exaggerated as part of an ‘end of days’ tenor of apocalyptic times? This chapter explores environmental justice, the extinction rebellion, geo politics and ethno-nationalism with this question in mind.
