Research conducted by a team from Stockholm University (Sweden). Existence of 14 “evolutionary traps” that can ultimately lead one to fall into one’s own trap extinction as a species Because of the world.
According to the scientists who conducted this study, part of the problem lies in the technological advancement that humanity has experienced and from which many threats arise. The report explains The planet is going through a process known as polycrisisA period in which many threats (from climate change to global pandemics) create the conditions that will sooner or later end the Anthropocene.
“Humans are incredibly creative as a species. We have the ability to innovate and adapt to many situations, and we can collaborate on surprisingly large scales. But it turned out that he had these abilities unintended consequencesAccording to the Infobae portal, anthropologist Peter Søgaard Jørgensen from Stockholm University said:
14 possible evolutionary dead ends for humanity, five of these are globally tagged:
one- Simplification: Systems become too specialized to adapt to survival, as in monocultures.
2- obsessive growth: a relentless pursuit of economic growth and overconsumption that undermines well-being.
3- overexploitation: Using ecosystems far superior to what the Earth can support.
4- conflicts: The division of society and the emergence of more international conflicts.
5- deterioration of health: Transmission of infectious diseases and multi-resistant bacteria.
The other five are defined as technological traps and they:
6- Fossil fuels, whose permanence does not facilitate the transition or growth of other forms of clean energy.
7- chemical contaminationpoisoning human health and nature.
8- Technology that threaten the planet, such as nuclear weapons.
9- Increase technological and robotic autonomyIncluding the new and feared Artificial Intelligence.
10- disinformation.
Researchers are calling The remaining four structural traps are mostly related to the economy and digitalization.
eleven- short termism the closeness of things and everything. Lack of long-term foresight.
12- excessive consumption Something people exercise and the world can’t stand.
13- disconnection from the biosphere and the unbalanced human behavior of caring for the only planet where life is possible.
14- loss of capital, An increasingly digital world cuts off social interaction and can contribute to further divisions in society.
Experts estimate that 12 of these 14 problems are in an advanced stage. Not only technological autonomy and loss of social capital have yet become issues of concern. Even more worrying is that These impasses tend to be mutually reinforcing.This means we’ll probably be stuck on more than one of these streets.
There is still hope
“Evolutionary traps are a well-known concept in the animal kingdom. Just as many insects are attracted to light, an evolutionary reflex that can lead to their death, humanity is at risk of reacting to new phenomena in harmful ways,” says Søgaard Jørgensen.
While this is a pretty bleak outlook, researchers aren’t giving up just yet. What’s needed now, the team says, is active transformation:to make determined efforts in another direction.
“Just as many insects are attracted to light, an evolutionary reflex that can lead to their death, humanity is at risk of reacting to new phenomena in harmful ways.”
“As a species, we may be narrow-minded and destructive, but we are also creative, innovative and collaborative,” the researchers said. This means there is hope that our fate has not yet been written.
“One very simple thing everyone can do is to become more involved in nature and society. and at the same time we learn the positive and negative global consequences of our own local actions,” says Jørgensen. “There is nothing better than supporting what needs to be protected,” he concludes.
Reference work: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0261
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