If we recognize humanity is an integral part of the planet and begin working for a healthy Earth, then planetary evolution could move forward to some unknown future.

On the other hand, Langmuir said, if we continue to view the Earth as something that is separate, that we merely use, then the resulting practices could damage the environment enough to stall planetary evolution, even causing it to fall back to a level where it supports just microscopic life.

“The story of the Earth is our story. We are intimately connected [to the Earth] in every fiber of our being, in every breath we take. We’re inseparable from the Earth,” Langmuir said.