Planet may not be fragile, but life is

In a recent column, Walter Williams stated that "Our planet is not fragile (3/5/19)." Williams pointed to volcanoes, floods, earthquakes and asteroids as proof that the planet has continued despite the massive forces unleased by these events. Untold millions of people may have died in these catastrophes, but the planet is still here and life on earth has endured. How could humans possibly unleash comparable force?

Our planet is currently undergoing a mass extinction brought on by human activities. Species are going extinct faster than they have for millions of years. Additionally, approximately 50 percent of individual animals of all species have perished. Causes include ocean acidification from absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, encroachment on wildlife habitats, toxic pollution, invasion of species alien to local ecosystems, and climate change.

Clearly, we are having a significant impact on the other species that inhabit this planet. Our drive to expand our territories and consume, treating nature as a mere resource, is resulting in the decimation of life on this planet.

So, to return to Williams' premise, perhaps he is correct. This mass of rock and molten magma we call a planet is not fragile. It is life that is fragile. But if one takes Williams' view, a certain loss of life is acceptable if some form of life endures into the future. I wonder if most people feel that way.

Deni Mathews

Bartlett