What's the best thing we as human beings can do to help the earth?

Leave?

Great idea, planting trees. We can also conserve electricity and water and reduce or eliminate gasoline usage by driving less or switching to an electric car or hybrid. None of us alone can make much difference, but imagine what we can do together.

Global mass suicide.

I think human beings should worry less about the environment. The world is more likely to end in our lifetime by nuclear war than because of shit melting. People need to be peaceful.

There are millions of small things individuals can do, and there is no one perfect answer.
Yes, planting trees is a great thing, so is driving less, not using pesticides and herbicides on your property, creating wildlife safe and friendly environments, recycling, replacing your gas mower with an old fashioned push mower. I agree with @GloriaEstefan one of the most important things is to go forth with an attitude of peace and goodwill and SMILE at your fellow man! :-D

I am constantly engaging strangers and when I come across another friendly, outgoing and HUMOROUS personality it is a real treat. WOW! You’re ALIVE! Woot!
BE the change you wish to see in the world.

Keep your pants on. The underlying global problem is human overpopulation.

@gasman I was JUST going to address your sharing.
Yep, the double edged sword of “progress.” Yay, so we’ve eliminated many contagious diseases that kept the human herd in check, we have gained better nutrition, less infant mortality, better health care and so we live longer and longer, but at what price? Now we are simply drowning in our own waste and taxing the planets resources beyond their ability to regenerate.

Personally I like the old Sam Clemens quote ” Progress was once a fine thing but it has gone on far too long.” This was written in what…the 1880’s or thereabouts. haha
Oh brother, we are so FUCKED! lol

Have fewer children and stop supporting those who cannot afford them. Millions of babies would not be starving in Africa or wherever if they were not born in the first place.
That is easy to say but hard to do.

Hug a tree. Use resources sparingly. Recycle! Don’t be a litterbug! Use paper not plastic.

@Coloma Starvation, homelessness, high infant mortality & diseases like dysentery & cholera would all be manageable problems if you cut population density by a factor of at least 2. Per capita wealth & standard of living could dramatically improve at every level of human existence. Unfortunately the barriers to controlling fertility are mainly cultural, not economic. Community acceptance of birth control requires education, which requires living beyond subsistence. This interdependence, it seems, is a tough nut to crack.

The original OP asked about harming the earth. This, too, would presumably benefit from reduced population density and universal education.

@gasman Agreed.

The best thing we could do would be to leave it alone. It manages fine without us.

@flutherother That’s true too.

On an individual level, reduce the trash level. Recycle, reuse repurpose. Keep things from going to landfills.

We can finally realize that the earth doesn’t need help, we do.

We can fuck shit up to the point that we disappear but the planet will keep on orbiting the sun, doing earthy things, for billions of years to come.

Kill all the cows and pigs and buffalo.

Stop killing insects.

Close down all industry.

Scrap all the cars.

Not necessarily in that order.

Actually, the people who want to kill all the people should provide a good example for the rest of us. I’m sure everyone will follow their example.

I’m actually not all that concerned about our long term survival as a species. There are too many of us to kill off, and we breed like cockroaches when necessary.

Assassinate global warming alarmists. I write this while Sydney is suffering 43 degrees C, and I’m swaeting like a pig…...........