| Potential doesn't count until it becomes actual. Sure, we could destroy the atmosphere and thus every living thing on the planet. But anything short of that causes a temporary imbalance, which natural processes then attempt to rectify.
Balance (equilibrium) isn't a point, it's a general state that swings this way and that over time. It may take thousands, even millions of years to balance out. As long as the basic elements for life exist, nature will find a way to maintain itself. Someday, when the sun begins to expand, that will no longer be true. |