Have you ever wondered what the world would look like without people? This coming Monday night, January 21st, the History Channel will premier "Life After People", a 2 hour movie painting such a scenario. Similar to "Earth Before People", an article in Discover magazine (2005), the movie portrays a world where people disappear and, as a result, nature and wild animals take over. In order to create a realistic setting, the movie was produced with the help of expert engineers, archeologists, geologists, botanists, ecologists, climatologists, and biologists.

Over the course of centuries, civilizations have disappeared because of diseases, like the Ancient Maya in Guatemala, or because of "accidents", like Chernobyl. In fact, the area around Chernobyl is a strong illustration of what the world would be like without humans, even after 20 years. "From a distance, you would still believe that Pripyat is a living city, but the buildings are slowly decaying," says Ronald Chesser, director for the Center for Environmental Radiation Studies, "The most pervasive thing you see are plants whose root systems get into the concrete and behind the bricks and into doorframes and so forth, and are rapidly breaking up the structure. You wouldn't think, as you walk around your house every day, that we have a big impact on keeping that from happening, but clearly we do. It's really sobering to see how the plant community invades every nook and cranny of a city."

I find the concept for this movie a bit harrowing and pessimistic, though there seems to be growing rhetoric that the world would fair better without so many humans populating the earth.

What do you think?

Tags:: archeology | population | earth | population control | History Channel | History

What does it mean for us to steward the earth and the wonders of creation? Stewardship means humans have dominion over creation, a mantle of responsibility, to tend to the earth and the maintenance of it. Obviously, I am a big advocate for stewarding the planet, including the awesome animal kingdom, flora and fauna. Along with many of you, I find great pleasure enjoying God's playground and stepping into His creative work. Clearly, when God designed creation, He did so with brilliant and majestic creativity. In fact, all of creation declares the glory of God and speaks of His wonder and power. I marvel how intricate the world is, how God crafted all the ecosystems and life to work so beautifully together, in rhythm and balance. Yet, with its amazing glory, we also see the results of human degradation.

Calvin DeWitt, Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, describes seven magnificent mechanisms God created to manage and maintain the world. DeWitt likewise contrasts these with seven damaging contributors to the environment. Let's take a look at DeWitt's analysis of the earth and its degradation.

Seven Provisions of Creation

• Regulation of earth’s energy exchange with the sun: Keeps earth's temperature at a level to support life and protects life from sun's lethal ultraviolet radiation by filtering sunlight through the stratospheric ozone layer. We'd all be burned to bits without this protection.
• Biogeochemical cycles and soil-building processes: Oxygen, carbon, water and other vital materials are cycled through living organisms and habitats, building life supporting soils and soil structure. Indeed, even our living waste is important to the eco-system.
• Ecosystem energy transfer and materials recycling: This continually operates to energize life and allocate materials. Why did it take humans so long to understand the value and importance of recycling?!
• Water purification systems of the biosphere: The earth has its own method of cleaning water. If we could only harness the earth's natural filtering system, clean water would always be available.
• Biological and ecological fruitfulness: Supports and maintains the rich biodiversity on earth by means of responsive and adaptive physiologies and behaviors. The ability to reproduce is astounding!
• Global circulations of water and air: Distributes oxygen, water, carbon dioxide and other vital materials between living organisms. We are literally dependent upon trees and plant life to breathe!
• Human ability to learn from creation and live in accord with its laws: Making it possible for people to live on earth.

• Alterations of earth’s energy exchange with the sun: Global warming is contributing to the destruction of the earth's protective ozone shield. This is very controversial, yet I do think that man has contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer, but in conjunction with the natural cycle of the earth.
• Land Degradation: Erosion, salinization, and desertification reduces the land available for crops and livestock.
• Deforestation: The removal of forests degrades the earth and living organisms.
• Water-quality pollution: Defilement lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater.
• Species extinction: The elimination of plant and animal species.
• Waste generation and global toxification: Resulting from atmospheric and oceanic circulation of the materials that people inject into the air and water.
• Human and cultural degradation: Threatens and eliminates communities, plants and food.

The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof;
the fullness and everything it contains. (Psalm 24:1)

Tags:: creation | earth | planet | Climate Change | Global Warming | stewardship | Environment