Ask HN: Is the world a positive sum game for the earth, not just humans?

Re:Ask HN: Is the world a positive sum game for the earth, n... by HenryKissinger on Thursday July 23, 2020 @10:15AM (#23927570)

Nature heals itself over time: trees grow back, endangered species grow their numbers, etc. Even deposits of fossil fuels reconstitute themselves, albeit over millions of years.

So nature isn't exactly a fixed pile of resources that we draw from.

The earth isn't a closed system. Sunlight, which is for all intents and purposes infinite, is a vital resource for the world's food supply, plants, and everything that depends on them.

With 7+ billion humans on earth, if you knew nothing about the water cycle, you might think that the oceans would run out of water in a few centuries. But ocean levels are rising, not falling. Because much of the water we consume goes back to nature one way or another.

It's more complicated than zero-sum.

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Re:Ask HN: Is the world a positive sum game for the earth, n... by NerDProgrammer on Friday July 24, 2020 @07:39PM (#23945587)

I still don't understand that why is the system not zero sum. The system has a way of replenishing itself. But if we consume (or harm nature) at a rate higher than it can replenish, then it'll not be able to sustain.

Why do you say that the system is more complicated that zero sum ? Is it because of the infiniteness of sunlight ? Or is it because of the scale at which humans effect nature, or the sheer vastness of nature. Is this from the system perspective, or a human perspective ?

[ Parent | on HN ]