Scientific American posted an entry on a Nature article on human transformation of the planet's environment. At least 43% of the ecosphere has been remade (into less ecospheriecally productive) for human purposes.
This reminds me of Diamond's book on how societies can bring about their own end through environmental collapse... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse:_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed
This sort of thing is a variation of the Dodo bird syndrome/aka fossil fueled vehicles going around in circles as a kind of economic-intellectual autism; the economic methods degrade or consume environmental resources until social economics aren't sustainable. Perhaps one of these economic collapses will emerge like a newly isolated tropical island with a cut off population imbalanced environmentally and consuming everything existing in panic like locusts.
The paradox is that in that future planet of the apes with the statue of liberty cut down to size on the beach the apes will turn out to have been humanity itself- especially the political leaders and broadcasters. Free at last with no survivors it might be a peaceful empty world and the federal debt will disappear too.
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