This is the most important comment here. Everything we consider "wealth" is downstream of our ecobiological cocoon.
If one's reaction to this is "we can just develop artifical life support": suggestions that a well-functioning planetary ecology is not necessary had better come with a demonstrably viable alternative. We are nowhere close.
Even if we were, is there no value in the beings we share this planet with? Can we really justify their indiscriminate destruction? To what end?
If one's reaction to this is "we can just develop artifical life support": suggestions that a well-functioning planetary ecology is not necessary had better come with a demonstrably viable alternative. We are nowhere close.
Even if we were, is there no value in the beings we share this planet with? Can we really justify their indiscriminate destruction? To what end?