As hope to substantially delay a 6th extinction fades it is, for me, being replaced by deep curiosity as to how it will all spiral down.
How much, if at all, that impacts lifespans is in itself another matter for curiosity. And for what as well as how intensely the hope was felt might make a difference to lifespan.
Indifference, however, appears to be the norm, most notable amongst the powerful, when it comes to concern for the preservation of life much beyond that of grandchildren of one’s own.
Whether in the atheist or the religious, spirituality does not appear to consistently engender a lot of practical action that changes habits or interrupts comfort in the service of quelling climate chaos. Money, status, and scientific curiosity more obviously do.
We have, in short, only slightly progressed beyond toolmaking and herd living. Perhaps this is where evolutionary mechanisms become either inept or irrelevant in protecting our kind, and lottery odds face our chance of acting with the urgency and thoroughness required to save any or but a few of us from the dust or coal bin of geologic history. The time for success may be past anyway, with a multitude of tipping points reached beyond our technical prowess, let alone our will.
However, there will be more to be both curious and hopeful about if we just keep trying to behave better to save ourselves, and many other species.