Stephan: This came out several days ago and I have held it waiting to see what kind of response it engendered, with the idea of devoting an entire edition of SR to the announcement and the reactions it generated. I was not surprised, but deeply saddened, that it stimulated almost no discourse in the Congress and almost nothing in the media, particularly the cable media. Listen closely. That sound you hear is the smoke alarm of civilization ringing like a fire siren in the night.
BERKELEY — A prestigious group of scientists from around the world is warning that population growth, widespread destruction of natural ecosystems, and climate change may be driving Earth toward an irreversible change in the biosphere, a planet-wide tipping point that would have destructive consequences absent adequate preparation and mitigation.
‘It really will be a new world, biologically, at that point,
