No, the earth is not cleansing itself. Humans are not the virus. That would be an expression of an eco-fascist worldview based on white supremacy and xenophobia, a worldview that denies the profiteering from environmental neglect that has occurred as a result of the capitalist motivation to secure profits at the cost of literally everything.
If you’re wondering how we started on this path toward the utter destruction of the planet on which we live, The New York Times, in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, has compiled an excellent guide to books on environmental issues including Nathaniel Rich’s Losing Earth, “a history of what could have been.”