I consulted my wife regarding your response, and she concurred that my faith in humans is unduly optimistic. Or, as she said regarding our chances of solution, "There is only an island of very smart scientists surrounded by a sea of stupidity."

That said, we are the only species in existence who can live indoors, regulating the temperature of our living environment. We can harness unlimited energy from the sun, growing our food indoors, even in stainless steel tanks, allowing us to live in such inhospitable locations as underground, under the sea, or on the surface of the moon. Unless and until those technologies are forgotten, a good portion of us will continue to thrive on this planet regardless of the fate of all other life.

I like to think that extinction will drive our better natures toward ingenuity, but my wife is usually, no, always right.