Brian May: "Humans are pretty much eliminating all species except the ones that we think are useful to us"

(Image credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Brian May has explained how he believes humans to be negatively impacting the Earth, and has elaborated on a previous comment he made in a 2019 video in which he argued that humans should not to be allowed to venture into space until they "sort out how [they] behave on [their] own planet."

In a new interview with Sky News to discuss his work on a new book of 3D photographs of the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, gathered by NASA's OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft, the Queen guitarist - who has a PHD in astrophysics - was questioned on what he thinks of this month having been reported by scientists as the planet’s hottest ever on record.

In response, he says (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): "Well, I think it's now pretty apparent that we are having an effect on the earth, which is deleterious, and we need to stop doing what we're doing.

"It's not just about climate change; it's about the way we're polluting the earth and covering it in concrete and basically pretty much eliminating all species except the ones that we think are useful to us. So I think we need a major, major change of philosophy in the way we treat the other creatures with which we share this planet."

Then, addressing his previous comments, the guitar legend continues: "So I did say [that about humans needing to sort out how they behave on their own planet first] at one of the Starmus conventions, and I said it in front of a number of men who had walked upon the moon, feeling very nervous.

"But they all came up afterwards and said, 'You were right to say that, Brian. We have to behave better on our own planet before we go out putting our imprint on the rest of the cosmos.'"

Watch the interview below:

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Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.