Adap tion
05. Okt 2025,
Dystopian narratives about the future of climate change are depressing. Scientists’ scenarios depict a world in chaos, under fire and water, in heat and cold, offering little chance of survival. However, a closer look at the past, i.e., history, reveals that while the scenario is undoubtedly accurate, the chances of survival are greater and more diverse than models suggest.
Could I even imagine that humans existed at all during the great ice age about 23,000 years ago? Or animals? For a long time, the scientific hypothesis was that the first humans migrated to North America via the Bering Strait. And that was about 10,000 years later than the people of White Sands. The remarkable thing is that these humans coexisted with mammoths and ground sloths. During an ice age, obviously. How did these humans survive?
What led scientists to come to this conclusion? Four years ago, fossilized footprints of an entire group of humans were discovered in White Sands. This group consisted of adults, children, and babies. The conclusion suggests that the social structure of humans already existed 23,000 years ago. So what enabled these people to survive back then and there in what is now known as New Mexico? Well, the magic word is adaptation. In other words, adjusting to changing situations. Adaptation is a clear statement in itself, because we all constantly adapt to new circumstances in life. It’s called the will to survive.
These people apparently developed sophisticated hunting tools back then, as evidenced by the remains found. Additionally, they likely roamed other areas as a clan or family group, depending on the situation.
I have engraved the word adaptation into my brain. Without a willingness for change, the only thing left is probably extinction.
But this is unlikely to be a pleasure trip for our children and grandchildren—quite the contrary. However, examining earlier human cultures and their ability to survive gives me hope. With one restriction: people in the past had much more time to adapt themselves to such changes. Today’s global climate change has eliminated this advantage.
Nevertheless, the scientific and technical possibilities of today – including AI – will open other opportunities. I constantly observe technical and scientific developments that demand only one thing from us: to change our living situation and step out of our comfort zone. That is a small price to pay for the survival of humanity. Much smaller than living with the new, trendy fascism.
Yes, people are creative and capable of adapting and changing. Mainly at the very last moments, but at least it’s something.
Thank you, folks at White Sands, for this hopeful insight.