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Optimists of Lemmy, what gives you hope about the future? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 7 hours ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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I obviously have none, so I'd like to see if I can mooch off of you lol.

Please don't leave any pessimistic top level comments. Or do, I'm not your mom 🤷‍♂️.

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[–] 4 points 6 hours ago* (1 child)

Nothing humans have ever done is unprecedented or even the worst example in nature. Chaining the atmosphere and causing climate change and mass extinction? Cyanobacteria laugh at humans.

Think plastic is bad? Early trees evolved millions of years before any bacteria or fungi could digest them. Early trees didn't rot, and they covered the land; clogged the rivers and oceans; and led to continent-wide wildfires. (they also sequestered so much carbon it caused an ice age).

Even what we do to each other isn't close to the worst examples in nature. Male bedbugs have a reproductive strategy called "traumatic insemination" wherein their stinger-like penis can just stab the female any where on her body. The females have a 25% higher mortality due to being stab-raped.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 hours ago

    The plastic thing has interested me for a long time. I bet my grandkids will be horrified at our casual use. Plastic wrapped single potatoes?! AHH! But nature can't ignore that monster energy source for long.

    The Deepwater Horizon power dumped oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists predicted decades of devastation. It was a big deal at the time, but nature healed almost supernaturally fast. (Not discounting the monstrous human effort!) We didn't think Gulf seafood would be edible for 10+ years, but even filter-feeding oysters where quick to be deemed safe.

    Oil-eating microbes showed out and chowed down. After all, oil leaks were a natural thing long before humans, the bacteria were always there. This event was a feast. Nature can't let a compact energy source go to waste. :)

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