It's hard not to think that in 50 years or less, the species running the earth might be cockroaches. We as humans seem to be relatively undisturbed by massive extinctions and die-offs of plants and animals. It's almost as if we are running full tilt off the edge of a cliff that we can't see, and we simply ignore the warning signs posted in plain sight. It's definitely getting warmer, there are lakes in the polar regions where there used to be ice, the permafrost is melting, there has been an increase in volcanic and seismic activity worldwide--and I suspect these things grow exponentially, both in terms of their impact and the amount of denial we as humans experience. Maybe the unavoidable conclusion is just too unthinkable--the human ego system globally protecting itself--it's hard to know. And, will the earth survive? I think I would personally feel a whole lot better if I thought the earth was simply trying to shrug homo sapiens off, and once that was done, life could get back to normal around here.