This made me realize that 'saving the planet' is actually 'we need to save ourselves and in order to do that we need to save the planet'. The earth and mother nature will certainly adapt (which they already do!) with or without people.
100% this, and this is why it's so dumb when people say things like "everyone needs to stop having kids to save the earth". Future generations are the only reason we should care about any long-term environmental issues. If humanity were about to go extinct, I don't see any issue with the last surviving human burning all of the remaining fossil fuels just for fun.
Yeah I think people think remarkably short term about the earth. If we are really assholes about climate change and acidify the shit out of the oceans and cause a mass extinction event, in 1000, years the ocean will just be back to life teeming with whatever life is best suited to survive in those conditions.
Fun insight, thanks for that!