This blog post examines how the phenomenon of increasing human lifespan impacts nature and human society, and whether it is truly a blessing or a curse.
The world’s population continues to grow even now. Visiting the ‘Population Clock’ website allows you to see the global population count in real time, displaying the ever-changing number of people. As of April 6, 2025, the world population stands at 8,215,605,964. The global population is increasing at an astonishingly rapid pace. Several factors contribute to population growth, but the increasing average human lifespan is thought to play a significant role.
These days, we often hear the phrase ‘the era of 100-year lifespans’. This metaphorical expression reflects how human lifespans are steadily increasing due to advances in science and medicine. The term ‘era of 100-year lifespans’, frequently appearing in newspapers, is not merely a buzzword. Human lifespans are indeed extending, now approaching 100 years. The “100-year era,” once merely a phrase floating around, has actually arrived. It is said that the average lifespan of humans in primitive times was around 10 years. Compared to today, that’s nearly a tenfold difference. Since then, the average human lifespan has steadily increased, reaching today’s level. But is the increase in human lifespan, in other words, living longer, truly a blessing?
First, for nature, humans living longer is certainly not a blessing. A recently published paper titled ‘Socioecological Predictors of Global Invasive Alien Species and Threatened Species’ allows us to predict the impact of increasing human lifespan on nature. This paper applied American ecologist Leopold’s ‘Land Ethic Theory’ to predict the health of nature. The researchers investigated economic and social factors among various human activities that alter nature, condensed them into 15 variables, and then applied these to changes in endangered bird and mammal species and invasive alien species to determine which variables produced the most accurate predictive results. The variable that yielded the most accurate results for changes in endangered species and invasive alien species was ‘human life expectancy’. As human life expectancy increases, populations grow, and human influence spreads to nearly all regions, leading to predictions that the natural environment in those areas will rapidly deteriorate. Ultimately, this study revealed that as human life expectancy increases, the burden on nature grows, while nature’s life expectancy actually decreases. This clearly demonstrates that the greatest threat to the health of nature worldwide is ‘human life expectancy’.
Moreover, when defining the relationship between humans and nature, humanity has historically regarded nature as an object to be conquered. Defining this relationship from such an anthropocentric perspective has allowed humans to alter and damage nature as they pleased, often without significant guilt. Rather, it was taken for granted. Examples such as indiscriminately logging large parts of the Amazon, known as the ‘lungs of the Earth,’ for national interests, or overhunting endangered animals to protect human health, reveal how humans view nature. In this context, the increase in human lifespan and population can never be a blessing for nature.
So, is living longer truly a blessing for humans? I believe it is not a blessing for humans either. Advances in science, technology, and medicine have gradually increased human lifespan, allowing us to live longer than before. ‘Healthy life expectancy’ refers to the period within the average lifespan that reflects the ‘quality of life,’ excluding periods of inactivity due to illness or injury. Healthy life expectancy is used as an indicator of national well-being in the health sector. Currently, there is a gap of about 10 years between the average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in Korea. This means that for 10 years, people are unable to live a normal life due to injuries or illnesses. While the ultimate goal of health policy is to live a long and healthy life, the world today is overly focused on simply living longer. Domestic academia also lags in research on this topic relative to its importance. Living longer is important, but living longer in good health is more important. Is increased lifespan truly valuable if it is not accompanied by a healthy life? If the extended lifespan is not guaranteed, life in old age is by no means a blessing.
Summarizing the points made so far, human longevity is not a blessing for either nature or humanity. However, this is an issue that can be overcome and a challenge that must be addressed. For human longevity not to threaten the health of nature, the relationship between humans and nature must be properly defined. Humans are not in a position to conquer nature; we are merely members of the vast ecosystem called nature, alongside other living beings. Above all, we must remember that without nature, humans cannot survive. Therefore, humans must move beyond a selfish perspective, respect the right to survival of animals and plants as members of nature, and view nature accordingly. Doing so may not make human longevity a blessing for nature, but at the very least, it will not be a disaster.
Furthermore, for human longevity to truly be a blessing, as pointed out earlier by Choi Byeong-ho, President of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the focus must shift from merely living longer to living longer in good health. Academia must conduct research centered on living longer while enjoying a high quality of life, and health policies must align accordingly. Individuals must steadily manage their health in step with increasing ‘average life expectancy’ to extend their ‘healthy life expectancy’. If you don’t want to end your life confined to a bed, if you wish to live the increasingly longer years healthily, actively, and joyfully, you must make consistent efforts. Only by actively extending our ‘healthy life expectancy’ ourselves, rather than relying solely on ‘average life expectancy’, can we achieve longevity without illness, not longevity with illness.
The desire to live long is instinctive. Yet modern humans, driven solely by this instinct, rush forward blindly, fixated only on longevity, without looking around them. We are too harsh on nature and on ourselves. It is time to move beyond instinct alone; we must look around us and think rationally. May the increasing average human lifespan become a blessing for both ‘nature’ and ‘humanity’.
