Ingabe Iplanethi Ewumhlaba Izobhujiswa?

UKUPHELA kwekhulu lama-20 leminyaka kuyasondela, futhi ikhulu lama-21 selizoqala. Kulesi simo, inani elandayo labantu ngokuvamile ebelingazinaki kangako noma lingazishayi mkhuba ngokuphelele iziprofetho zembubhiso liyazibuza ukuthi kungenzeka yini ukuthi isenzakalo esithile esiyobhubhisa umhlaba siseduze.

Kungenzeka uye waphawula izihloko zamaphephandaba noma zomagazini mayelana nalokhu—ngisho nezincwadi eziphelele ezikhuluma ngale ndaba. Kumelwe silinde ukuze sibone ukuthi yini ezokwenzeka ekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-21 leminyaka. Abanye abantu bathi ukufinyelela ekupheleni konyaka ka-2000 kwenza umehluko wonyaka owodwa nje (noma womzuzu owodwa, kusukela ku-2000 kuya ku-2001) futhi cishe ngeke kube nemiphumela emikhulu. Abaningi bakhathazwa kakhulu yilokho okuzokwenzeka ngeplanethi yethu esikhathini esikude esizayo.

Isiprofetho esivame kakhulu muva nje esokuthi esikhathini esithile—kungakhathaliseki ukuthi maduze nje noma esikhathini esikude esizayo—iplanethi ewuMhlaba izobhujiswa ngokuphelele. Cabangela ezimbalwa nje zalezi zibikezelo ezinganiki themba.

Encwadini yakhe ethi The End of the World—The Science and Ethics of Human Extinction, eyaqala ukunyatheliswa ngo-1996, umlobeli nesazi sefilosofi uJohn Leslie unikeza izindlela ezintathu ukuphila komuntu emhlabeni okungase kuphele ngazo. Okokuqala uyabuza: “Ingabe ukhukhulela-ngoqo wempi yenuzi ungasho ukuphela kohlanga lwesintu?” Ube esenezela: “Okungase kwenzeke kakhulu . . . kungaba ukuqothulwa imiphumela yemisebe: imidlavuza, ukwenziwa buthaka kwesimiso sokuzivikela komzimba ngendlela yokuthi kudlange izifo ezithathelwanayo, noma ukukhubazeka okuningi kwasekuzalweni. Futhi kungafa izinto eziphilayo ezibonakala ngesibonakhulu ezibalulekile ekuphileni kwendawo ezungezile.” Okwesithathu uMnu. Leslie athi kungase kwenzeke ukuthi umhlaba ushayiswe inkanyezi enomsila noma enye yamaplanethi amancane: “Mayelana nezinkanyezi ezinomsila namaplanethi amancane okunemijikelezo ebonakala sengathi ngolunye usuku kungase kushayise uMhlaba, kubonakala [kunezinkanyezi ezinomsila namaplanethi amancane] okungaba izinkulungwane ezimbili okunobubanzi obuyikhilomitha elilodwa kuya kwayishumi. Futhi kunenani elincane kakhulu (okungaba ukuqagela nje ukulisho) lokunye okukhulu kakhulu, nenani elikhulu kakhulu lokuncane.”

Incazelo Eshukumisayo ‘Yosuku Lwembubhiso’

Noma cabangela omunye usosayensi, uPaul Davies, uprofesa wase-University of Adelaide, e-Australia. Wachazwa i-Washington Times ‘njengombhali wesayensi ongcono kakhulu ohlangothini ngalunye lwe-Atlantic.’ Ngo-1994, wakhipha ethi The Last Three Minutes, okuye kwathiwa “unina wazo zonke izincwadi zosuku lwembubhiso.” Isahluko sokuqala sale ncwadi sibizwa ngokuthi “Usuku Lwembubhiso,” futhi sichaza isenzakalo esicatshangelwayo salokho okungenzeka uma inkanyezi enomsila ingashayisa iplanethi ewuMhlaba. Funda ingxenye yale ncazelo yakhe esiphuzelisa izinwele:

“Iplanethi izamazama ngamandla okuzamazama komhlaba okuyizinkulungwane eziyishumi. Umoya onamandla osuswe endaweni yawo uqothula okusebusweni bomhlaba, wenze zonke izakhiwo zibe isicaba, ucola yonke into ohlangana nayo. Ithafa elizungeze indawo eshayekile liyakhula libe izintaba zoketshezi ezingamakhilomitha amaningana ukuphakama, kwembuleke izibilini zoMhlaba emgodini ongamakhilomitha angu-150 ububanzi. . . . Kusuka isikhatha esikhulu sothuli siya emoyeni osemkhathini, sifiphaza ilanga kuyo yonke iplanethi. Manje ukukhanya kwelanga kuthathelwa indawo ukukhanya okuyinhlekelele okubanekayo nokuxhophayo kwezinkanyezi eziyizigidi eziyinkulungwane ezibizwa ngokuthi ama-meteor, zithosa umhlaba ngokushisa kwazo okuhangulayo, njengoba izinto ezigudluke endaweni yazo zisuka emkhathini zingena emoyeni osemkhathini.”

UProfesa uDavies uyaqhubeka exhumanisa lesi senzakalo esicatshangelwayo nesibikezelo sokuthi inkanyezi enomsila uSwift-Tuttle iyoshayisa umhlaba. Wenezela isixwayiso sokuthi nakuba isenzakalo esinjalo singase singenzeki esikhathini esiseduze esizayo, ngokombono wakhe “esikhathini esithile uSwift-Tuttle, noma enye into enjalo, uzowushayisa uMhlaba.” Isiphetho sakhe sisekelwe ekulinganiseleni okusikisela ukuthi kunezinto ezingu-10 000 ezinobubanzi obuyingxenye yekhilomitha ezijikeleza emijikelezweni yoMhlaba ephambanayo.

Ingabe uyakholelwa ukuthi siyiqiniso lesi senzakalo esesabeka kangaka okuthiwa sizokwenzeka? Inani elimangazayo labantu liyakholelwa. Kodwa lichiliza noma ikuphi ukukhathazeka ngokuziqinisekisa ukuthi lokho ngeke kwenzeke ngesikhathi salo. Nokho, kungani kufanele iplanethi ewuMhlaba ibhujiswe—manje noma ezinkulungwaneni zeminyaka ukusuka manje? Ngokuqinisekile, akuwona umhlaba ngokwawo owumthombo oyinhloko wezinkathazo zezakhamuzi zawo, ezingabantu noma izilwane. Kunalokho, akuyena yini umuntu ngokwakhe oyimbangela yezinkinga eziningi zaleli khulu lama-20 leminyaka, kuhlanganise nethuba lokuthi angase ‘achithe umhlaba’ ngokuphelele?—IsAmbulo 11:18.

Ukuphatha Komuntu Izinto Budedengu Kuyalungiswa

Kuthiwani ngethuba elisongela kakhulu lokuthi umuntu ngokwakhe angachitha noma onakalise umhlaba ngokuphelele ngenxa yokuphatha izinto budedengu nobugovu? Akungatshazwa ukuthi kakade izingxenye zomhlaba seziye zonakaliswa ngokuqothulwa kwamahlathi, ukungcoliswa komoya osemkhathini okungalawulwa nokonakaliswa kwemizila yamanzi. Lokhu kwashiwo kahle ngamafuphi eminyakeni engaba ngu-25 edlule abalobi uBarbara Ward noRené Dubos encwadini yabo ethi Only One Earth: “Izindawo ezintathu ezinkulu ezingcolisiwe okumelwe sizihlole—umoya, amanzi nenhlabathi—futhi njengoba wazi, okuyizici ezintathu eziyinhloko ezakha ukuphila kwethu kule planethi.” Futhi akukhona yini ukuthi isimo ngokuyinhloko asizange sibe ngcono kusukela ngaleso sikhathi?

Lapho sicabangela ingozi yokuchitha noma ukubhubhisa komuntu umhlaba ngokungacabangi, singakhuthazwa ukucabangela amandla amangalisayo oMhlaba okuzivuselela nokukhiqiza kabusha. Echaza leli khono elimangalisayo elitholakele, uRené Dubos usho la mazwi akhuthazayo kwenye incwadi ethi, The Resilience of Ecosystems:

“Abantu abaningi besaba ukuthi ukuqaphela ukonakaliswa kwendawo ezungezile kuye kwephuza kakhulu ngoba umonakalo omningi owenzekile kakade ezimisweni zezinto eziphilayo awunakulungiseka. Ngokombono wami, lo mbono onganiki ithemba awunasisekelo esizwakalayo ngoba izimiso zezinto eziphilayo zinamandla amakhulu okubuyisela izinto esimweni sazo ngemva kokuphazamiseka okukhulu.

“Izimiso zezinto eziphilayo zinezinqubo eziningi zokubuyisela izinto esimweni sazo. . . . Zenza izimiso zezinto eziphilayo zinqobe imiphumela yokuphazamiseka ngokumane zibuyisele ngokuqhubekayo isimo sasekuqaleni sendlela izinto eziphilayo ezihlobene ngayo nendawo ezungezile.”

Kungenziwa

Isibonelo esivelele salokhu eminyakeni yamuva nje ukukhucululwa kancane kancane komfula owaziwayo waseLondon iThames. Incwadi ethi The Thames Transformed, kaJeffery Harrison noPeter Grant, ikhuluma ngale mpumelelo ephawulekayo ebonisa lokho okungenziwa lapho abantu besebenza ndawonye ukuze kuzuze umphakathi. UMbusi wase-Edinburgh eBrithani, esingenisweni sale ncwadi wabhala: “Nansi ekugcineni indaba yempumelelo yezinga elikhulu okufanelekayo ukuba inyatheliswe nakuba kunengozi yokuthi ingase ikhuthaze abantu abathile ukuba bacabange ukuthi izinkinga zokongiwa [kwemvelo] azizimbi ngendlela bona abenziwe bayikholelwa . . . Bonke bangakhuthazwa yilokho okuye kwafezwa eThames. Izindaba ezinhle ezokuthi kungenziwa futhi nawabo amacebo angaphumelela.”

Esahlukweni esithi “Ukukhucululwa Okukhulu,” uHarrison noGrant babhala ngentshiseko ngalokho okuye kwafezwa eminyakeni engaphezu kuka-50 edlule: “Ngokokuqala ngqá emhlabeni, umfula ongcoliswe kakhulu nowenziwe waba owezimboni uye wabuyiselwa esimweni sawo kangangokuthi izinyoni zasemanzini nezinhlanzi kuye kwabuya ngobuningi. Ukuthi ushintsho olungaka luye lwenzeka ngokushesha okungaka, esimweni ekuqaleni ebesibonakala singathembisi, kunikeza isikhuthazo ngisho nakubongi bemvelo bezilwane zasendle abangasenathemba kakhulu.”

Babe sebechaza ushintsho: “Isimo somfula sasiqhubeka siba sibi njengoba iminyaka idlula kwaze kwaba yilapho kugadla, mhlawumbe, igalelo lokugcina phakathi neMpi Yezwe Yesibili lapho konakala noma kwacekelwa phansi izimiso ezinkulu zokukhucululwa kwendle nezindawo zokuchitha indle. Phakathi kwawo-1940 nawo-1950 isimo seThames sasiwohloke kakhulu. Umfula wawufana nje nendawo yokuchitha indle evulekile; amanzi enombala omnyama, engenawo nhlobo umoya-mpilo, futhi ngezinyanga zasehlobo iphunga elibi elivela eThames lalingezwakala endaweni ebanzi. . . . Izinhlanzi ezazichichima ekugcineni zase zixoshiwe, ngaphandle kwemibokwane [eels] embalwa eyayikwazi ukuphila ngenxa yokukwazi ukuphefumula ngokuqondile ngomoya wangaphandle kwamanzi. Izinyoni ezazisengxenyeni eqondile yomfula enezakhiwo phakathi kweLondon neWoolwich zancipha kwasala amadada ambalwa asendle, futhi kunokuba aphile ngokudla kwemvelo, ayephila ngokusanhlamvu okuchitheka endaweni yokubophela imikhumbi. . . . Ngaleso sikhathi ubani owayengakukholelwa ukulungiswa kwezinto okuphawulekayo okwase kuzokwenzeka? Kungakapheli neminyaka eyishumi yona kanye leyo ngxenye eqondile yomfula yase izoguqulwa ingabe isaba indawo engenazinyoni, kodwa ibe indawo yokukhosela yezinhlobo eziningi zezinyoni zasemanzini, kuhlanganise nezinyoni zasendle ezifinyelela ku-10 000 nezinyoni zasogwini ezingu-12 000 eziba khona ebusika.”

Yiqiniso, lokhu kumane kuchaze ushintsho oluncane olwenzeka engxenyeni encane yomhlaba. Nokho, kunezifundo esingazifunda kulesi sibonelo. Sibonisa ukuthi iplanethi ewuMhlaba akudingekile ukuba ibhekwe njengezobhujiswa ngenxa yokuphathwa budedengu, ubugovu nokungacabangi kwabantu. Imfundo efanele nomzamo wesintu wokubambisana ukuze kuzuze umphakathi kungasiza ukuba umhlaba uzivuselele ngisho noma sekwenzeké umonakalo omkhulu ezintweni eziphilayo ezikuwo, indawo ezungezile nobuso bomhlaba. Kodwa kuthiwani ngembubhiso engase ibangelwe ezinye izinto, njengenkanyezi enomsila ezulazulayo noma enye yamaplanethi amancane?

Isihloko esilandelayo sinesihluthulelo sokuthola impendulo egculisayo yalo mbuzo odidayo.

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 5]

Imfundo nomzamo wokubambisana kungasiza umhlaba ukuba ulungise ngisho nomonakalo omkhulu owenzeke kuwo