Bryan Gould's excellent article (Opinion, May 20) describes the consequences of planet-damaging activities that the general populace has been uncomfortably conditioned to accept or perhaps feel helpless about.
Things inevitably will change, particularly as Earth may be reaching the catastrophic tipping point when irreversible effects become exponential. Attitudes must all change; it cannot be business as usual for much longer.
Survivability for all species is the essential norm of the planet and continued destabilisation by the profit-driven mentality and other human unsustainable pillaging activities hastens our demise. Submerged lands, desertification, deforestation, food imbalances, pollution, destabilised atmosphere and weather will affect all. Governments, big business and corporates pursuing profits could be stricken with valueless equities.
Maybe a limited number might head off to Mars with their profits. While it is difficult for ordinary citizens to act globally, taking action locally (eg, Tauranga's transport fiasco is just a start for me) and is long overdue.
Needed is a unified selfless approach for the long-term public good. I hope people movements and wise leadership may empower drastically needed changes to minimise the future crisis for Earth's inhabitants. (Abridged)