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responsive to the whims of economics because only in the very “long” term does
it objectively project geological scarcity. Moreover, in the history of humanity no
single currency has survived beyond the society that created it. Thus the vision
that feeds the economy whilst necessary is limited. In contrast, the physical laws
are not bound by history or any human factor. In that sense it is better to use
objective physical methods to gauge the exhaustion rate of each and every one of
the materials described in this topic. Once governments and their people are aware
of exhaustion, they need to determine how and to what extent they should act, i.e.
should they counteract it, slow it down or just ignore it?
As the degradation of the ecosystems and the mineral crust can only naturally
regenerate with time - something which is infinitely greater than the life of any hu-
man being or even human civilisation, striving towards a societal model founded on
replacement is a naive notion. It is more an accounting concept than an attainable
reality, given that it would never occur to anyone to pick up the pieces of a broken
glass to make it whole again. This is because, as explained earlier, technologically
returning from the grave is extremely di
cult and energy intensive. And, more
often than not, somewhat paradoxically, it serves to shorten rather than lengthen
the path towards Thanatia. In reality, any form of counteraction via replacement
is only considered when the degradation velocity of life support systems becomes
so intense that it begins to seriously affect living beings.
Ignoring is never an option. Some effects don't wait for tomorrow. They can
be felt and suffered today. It is therefore increasingly imperative to reflect on
the transition towards a new society which protects its natural resources. In any
case, the key to slowing down the hands of the clock is resource e
ciency. Such a
term lends itself to the minimalist approach to natural resource use, extraction and
environmental impact. In this regard all nations should become more conscious of
the problem faced by all global citizens. In that respect, the European Commission
launched a Manifesto on 17th December 2012, calling for a more e
cient European
society as shown in (EC, 2012).
It is not the consumption of fossil fuels which is the issue but rather the squander-
ing of resources upon which humanity is established: the water, mineral resources,
clean air, space and biodiversity, i.e. all natural resources that are now appropri-
ated by modern society. Indeed, putting the brakes on the machine of destruction
should become an urgent matter.
15.3 Putting the brake on Gaia's evolution towards Thanatia
According to the principle of maximum power, all natural species constitute an open
thermodynamic system and organise themselves, in such a way that they will try
to reproduce indefinitely or at least until reaching the planetary limit to sustain life
(Odum, 1995a). Should Gaia's threshold be surpassed, a catastrophe will trigger
a sudden decline in the population that can no longer be supported. Lovelock
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