IV:7 Humankind does not own Earth or any sections of it.
Earth is a living entity, and therefore cannot be owned by another living entity. In part or as a whole, no living entity in Universe is subject to ownership by another living entity.
As a living entity, Earth does not exist for the purpose of accommodating the various species that dwell upon its surface, just as humans do not exist for the purpose of feeding mosquitoes.
Some human cultures understand that Earth cannot be owned, and, as inhabitants who benefit from the resources Earth provides, see themselves as caretakers of the planet. These humans are grateful to Earth for providing a comfortable, beautiful home, and they treat Earth with the love and respect in which any home should be treated.
Yet, apart from these seemingly few who understand that Earth should be cared for and not unconscionably destroyed, the remainder of humankind seems to be under the impression that Earth was created solely for their benefit.
This notion is as clear as the scars and burns on Earth's surface created by humans who take as much as they can hold without leaving for others what they do not need.
Some humans believe that Earth was created by gods as a gift to humankind, and that humankind should accept this gift and give praise in return. Such notions are not so much an affront to Earth—which, without seeking praise in return, provides a home and the resources that allow humankind to survive—but to the future of humankind itself, who will inherit the consequences of these takers who give little consideration to their own offspring.
Humankind must accept that Earth was not created for its own benefit and must care for it as one would care for one's own house or a house in which one is a guest. If the house is not cared for and becomes neglected, it begins to fall apart. If not repaired, the house becomes uninhabitable for humans and eventually collapses.
Unlike a house built by humans, Earth is a living entity that does not need humans to care for it in order to survive. The habitat, or "house", in which humankind resides—the surface and lower atmosphere—is currently optimal for human life, but the condition of this environment in relation to the well-being of humankind is irrelevant to the survival of Earth. The only scenario in which Earth would benefit from the presence of human life would be if humankind finally starts to develop defenses against external Universal threats, an effort it has failed to even consider, let alone commence.
What humankind is actually impacting by its behaviors is not the health of Earth but its own habitat. If humankind continues engaging in behaviors that accelerate global warming to the point where the environment becomes uninhabitable to humans, it will be not Earth but the humans who will suffer and ultimately perish. Earth will adapt to living without humankind as easily as a canine would adapt to living without fleas.
Regardless of what humans do to their habitat, Earth will live on. For humans, though, destruction of its own habitat is akin to suicide—or mass murder, which would apply more to the foolish human politicians who claim that human activities do not impact environmental change in order to accommodate businesses that sell environmentally destructive products.
The shortsightedness of humankind's treatment of its own habitat can be likened to burning one's own house down to collect the insurance money and then spending it all on a single lavish meal.
Ultimately, humankind must realize that Earth will live on with or without it, and that its habitat will continue to change both naturally and as a direct result of its behavior. For humans, environmental destruction is only such in relation to its survivability within it. Humankind cannot actually destroy the environment, but they can most certainly alter it until it becomes uninhabitable for itself, a scenario that could allow other species to move in and thrive in after the humans are gone.
An example of a post-human Earth habitat is Chernobyl, site of the greatest nuclear accident humankind has ever accomplished. As a result of the accident, Chernobyl became so contaminated with radioactivity that humankind has declared it uninhabitable for humans, which it will likely remain for many more generations. The accident, however, had little or no consequence to Earth itself, nor would a similar accident if it were to happen on a global scale. The environment of Chernobyl is presently thriving with lush forests and wildlife that, while radioactive, are adapting to the new environment and surviving. On the surface, at least, it appears that radioactivity is less harmful to nature than humankind—which, given humankind's environmental track record, is not at all surprising.
Earth has already survived 5 billion years of Universal destruction, including its massive collision with Theia—a far worse calamity than anything humankind has pulled off in its 100,000 or so years.
Earth will surely survive the mess that humankind leaves behind. Humankind may not.
