Its Le Chatelier’s Principle: a system under stress will tend to readjust itself in such a way as to relieve that stress. Eventually, a new equilibrium will be reached that will allow the Earth to survive, perhaps changed, but nonetheless survive. Of course, we have the technical capability and financial resources to avoid this crisis, but we lack the political skills and social responsibility to do so. In short, our long term future is being threatened by our short term greed.

Up to now, human history has been characterized by almost unobstructed growth, as we expanded into an underpopulated planet bountiful with resources, and as we became more and more clever at extracting those resources. But when we discovered how to replace wind, water and muscle power with fossil fuels about two centuries ago, our ability to affect the environment began to catch up to our ability to extract benefit from it. To put it in engineering terms, as we became more powerful, we became less efficient.

Individual humans may be highly perceptive, capable and creative; but if you step back far enough and take the wide, long, collective view ; at the lowest possible spatial and temporal resolution, we still act like bacteria growing on a Petri dish. We will choke on our own poisons, or starve. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it can’t happen at all.
It happens in all closed system, and it only happens once.

Fortunately the planet will probably survive. “Earth Abides”, as Ecclesiastes reminds us. Nature, the ecosystem, maybe even Mankind will make it through this. But they will all look very different than they do now.