Do you recon that within 100yr the human race will be ****ed?

[Neil]

Global warming? Rising ocean acidity?

Do you recon the world in 50-100yrs will be a hospitable place with 8 billion humans all happily surviving as per normal?


I fear a global warming snowball. Global temperatures rise and rise and then (as has seemingly happened before) - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040113080810.htm

I believe such events have caused global extinctions before.


In the Earth's history, coincident with global warmings of about 10 degrees Fahrenheit, there have been several 'mass extinctions', when 50-90 percent of the species on Earth disappeared forever.

[AcesandEights]

Do you recon the world in 50-100yrs will be a hospitable place with 8 billion humans all happily surviving as per normal?

Quite possibly not hospitable for 8 Billion, but there is a good chance we won't have 8 billion or so people on the planet in 100 years :eek:

Then again, man is great at surviving and is ingenious, as a species, so who can say for sure.


Cue emo C-3po "We're doomed." posts :)

[Mike70]

i think in a lot of ways we are screwed and have no one to blame other than ourselves. i would agree with some biologists who assert that we are already living in what is likely to be one of the bigger extinction events in earth's history - all caused by humans. how many species have humans driven to extinction? the list would take up 25 posts probably. how many others have we driven to the brink of extinction? given that, i don't know if humans are even deserve to survive as a species.


the article poses a very real and very ruinous scenario that's happened before - a methane hydrate release. something like that could cause warming on such a fast scale (methane is far worse than carbon dioxide, it traps almost 20 times more heat than CO2) that i don't think there'd be much anyone could do except try to ride it out.

[fartpants]

i think we will bring about our own demise long before global warming ever gets the chance to, be it a man-made virus or a nuclear war or some other man-made catastrophe, i honestly believe that WE will wipe ourselves out long before nature can

[Philly_SWAT]

I could discuss this topic at length. But in a rare instance of being brief, I will just say that as long as the physical planet is still here, I think that the human race will survive. In the event of an ice age (due to global warming...if that doesnt make sense then read about it), no doubt countless millions/billions of humans will die, but some will survive.

To my way of thinking, and my understanding of science, one day our sun will go supernova, not only destroying the planet Earth, but the entire solar system. So if by that time we have not figured out a way to travel to other solar systems, then the human race will cease to exist.

[Tricky]

I dont buy the whole "global warming" thing,especially as this winter has been the coldest in the UK for a good few years!what will be will be,and if it comes to a point where humankind is looking at extinction it wont be in our lifetime or even in 3 or 4 generations lifetimes,why worry?

[EvilNed]

The human race will always be around. The humans, unlike all others, can adapt to their enviroment... Or adapt the enviroment to themselves! No other species can do this as quickly and ingeniously as the human race.

[MoonSylver]

I heard the other night that we're tracking an asteroid that is going to make a close enough pass that it will fly UNDER our communications satellites in 2027. Based on how it passes we will then be able to determine if it's going to hit us or not in 2036. So...2036...mark you calenders kids!!! :D

[AcesandEights]

So...2036...mark you calenders kids!!! :D

Well, iirc, Apophis isn't large enough to finish us off in a single swat, even if it does manage to tag us. Sure, it could spur real, reciprocal nastiness, as survivors squabble for resources in the afflicted regions and that could conceivably cause a global war, but a hit alone from it and it's direct results shouldn't be enough to do us in as a species.

[Mike70]

here are the possible strike points for apophis in 2036. a lot of them are in the middle of siberia, the pacific ocean and the western atlantic. the estimation of the energy that would be released is something like 1,500 megatons. by comparison the tunguska event was in the range of 3-10 megatons and the explosion of krakatoa, arguably the most violent natural event in recorded history, was 200 megatons, killed probably over 120,000 people and generated tsunamis over 100ft high . it is also the loudest sound ever, the 4 huge explosions were heard clearly in perth, australia 3,500km away. take that and magnify it by like seven times or so and that'd be what apophis hitting the earth would be like.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/2037_Apophis_Path_of_Risk.jpg/800px-2037_Apophis_Path_of_Risk.jpg

the damage from a 200 megaton explosion. this is a pic of krakatoa (using an alternate spelling of the name) with the areas of the island that were obliterated in shade.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Map_krakatau.gif

[Danny]

i think were too stubborn and greedy to be wiped out any time soon.

[Neil]

My fear is, in my lifetime we will realise we have started a snowball that cannot be stopped. eg: Global warming increases, ocean temps start going up, and we realise there is nothing we can do but watch the methane ice sheets at the bottom of the oceans start to melt.

Temps spiral up and more methane melts.... And the snowball grows...

In the end huge areas of the worlds are too hot/baron to live in... And the majority of plant/animal life goes! Maybe some humans will survive, but human civilisation, as we know, will be dealt a knock it most likely could not recover from.



Remember the climate we currently live and thrive in can easily change to one we cannot live and thrive in.

[Tricky]

The jury is still out on how much of it is a natural occurance & how much is man made though!i know we dont help matters,but im more inclined to stick with the natural occurance side!

[mista_mo]

we'll never die out, as we'll develop rocket missiles and shoot monkeys mixed with human DNA out into the space, and have sex with a lot of alien women.

[axlish]

Right about the time we have the proper technology to exist on other planets by using domes, tunnels and hydroponic growing systems, we'll need to use it on ourselves, here on Earth.

I don't buy into the theories that have the Earth rapidly declining into descent at an immediate and exponential rate, but I do think that the changes will be significant enough in the next hundred years to force everyone to adjust their lives a bit. Here's hoping that technology and awareness meets the appropriate levels in time to either do something about it, or prepare us for survival after the results.

[3pidemiC]

I dont buy the whole "global warming" thing,especially as this winter has been the coldest in the UK for a good few years!

That's the point. Global warming is to blame for that.

[Tricky]

That's the point. Global warming is to blame for that.

Maybe so,but i dont feel concerned or guilty about it!

[Mike70]

I don't buy into the theories that have the Earth rapidly declining into descent at an immediate and exponential rate, but I do think that the changes will be significant enough in the next hundred years to force everyone to adjust their lives a bit. Here's hoping that technology and awareness meets the appropriate levels in time to either do something about it, or prepare us for survival after the results.

well said, eric. i hope that humans do realize what a perilous thing our existence can be and take steps in the future to assure our survival. i may seem a bit pessimistic at times but for all the pain people have brought to the world, i keep in mind the beauty and majesty that we are capable of at times.

if we don't spread out to other planets and eventually to other star systems, one day there will be nothing left to even show that we existed. the sun is going to get hotter and brighter as it ages, this is an undisputable fact and in a several million years or so, the earth won't be the same place we know now and won't be a place that is very hospitable to humans.

[Craig]

The way I see it, we humans are just as natural as the planet we live on and the animals and plants we live alongside. Therefore anything we create or do is just as natural, I mean you don't see an animal in the wild using a rock as a tool and say 'that's unnatural'. After all we're just really clever and inventive animals.

Now I'm not saying I think we shouldn't care what happens to our planet, I think we should try and preserve it as much as we can to ensure our survival. I'm just saying I don't agree how people can act as if we have any less right than the plants and animals to be here, doing what comes natural to us (bad or good).
Same with war, a topic I'm very interested in. War has been around for as long as the human race has it seems, so in my opinion that sort of proves it's a natural thing for humans to engage in, not a nice thing but natural nonetheless. If we do somehow become completely peaceful, utopian race, then that'd be a natural change too.

[_liam_]

Maybe, maybe not. I think what will wipe us out is either

1 - plague
2 - nanotechnology
3 - a huge climate change (unlikely)

A pandemic would just screw us over, it takes about 2 days for everyone in london to get the same cold. On a long enough timeline nanotechnology will get good, and weaponised nanos seem inevitable - grey goo scenario, or nanites programmed to engage in ethnic cleansing, whatever the result, it'll be bad.

Climate change could kill us but my gut says it won't. The weather is pretty mental, but there's always been fluctuations.

I don't think we will buy it in all out nuclear war, as I believe someone somewhere will always survive something like that.

The main problem we have as a race is that we are bound to this planet, so we have to weather whatever happens here. If we colonised other planets, or had large & sustainable populations on space stations, our chances of survival as a race would be much higher.

But how far away is that? Is WW3 just around the corner? If it happened, it would put such endeavours behind by several decades, if not destroying the infrastructure of global civilisation & communication itself.

So yeah, it just depends if we get off the planet & set up communities in space that can survive without us

[Tricky]

Have you read Michael Crichtons "prey" Liam?thats an interesting book about weaponised nano's

[Arcades057]

Every generation thinks they're the last. A hundred years from now the hype will have gone from global warming, to global cooling, and we'll probably be back to global warming again, the charge led by a whole new class of sensationalist reporters and scientists, further promoted by whichever party needs power at the time.

Things move in cycles, including the weather.

[Neil]

The way I see it, we humans are just as natural as the planet we live on and the animals and plants we live alongside. Therefore anything we create or do is just as natural, I mean you don't see an animal in the wild using a rock as a tool and say 'that's unnatural'. After all we're just really clever and inventive animals.

But no other species is burning billions of tonnes of fossil fuels every year...

The things is, at the bottom of the oceans is enough frozen methane to completely change our climate to something we (& most animals/plants) would have trouble surviving in.

The frozen methand slowly increases and increases and then when the seas happen to warm up just enough it starts to escape and a snow ball effect begins. Methane is a far far more effective greenhouse gas than co2, so once this snowball begins to form it gets big quick.

The climate continues to warm, and so the cycle begin. Another interesting thing about escaping methane, is that it also sometimes ignites. Imagine areas of the sea boiling with methane coming to the surface and on fire!

Once it starts there's basically no stopping it. And it will happen again... The concern is we're going to tip the scales enough to make it happen again far sooner rather then later...


Every generation thinks they're the last. A hundred years from now the hype will have gone from global warming, to global cooling, and we'll probably be back to global warming again, the charge led by a whole new class of sensationalist reporters and scientists, further promoted by whichever party needs power at the time.

Things move in cycles, including the weather.

Let's hope so... Rather a lot of rather well qualified people disagree though...

[LoneCrusader]

I believe that global warming is neither man-made nor preventable [at this point]. And we've survived dozens of periods of global warmings and dozens of periods of global coolings. We've survived ice ages, for chrissake. I think we'll be alright.

[Neil]

I believe that global warming is neither man-made nor preventable [at this point]. And we've survived dozens of periods of global warmings and dozens of periods of global coolings. We've survived ice ages, for chrissake. I think we'll be alright.

We've survivied nothing.... Our ancestors, who were experts at survival, survived some minor hurdles. Most of us however, well, most of us would starve without a microwave.

Put us through an ice age now, and can how many billions would starve? And what would happen to how huge monstrous technology deck of cards?


Now, back to the methane ice sheets thawing due to global warming... The last time that happened, most of life on earth (plant/animal) died... That means human civilisation would be gone. Yes, some humans might survive, somehow, but I suspect it would be a decreasing number as resources failed them.

Couple of quotes:-

Washington (US) October 31, 2008 - Levels of climate-warming methane -- a greenhouse gas 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide -- rose abruptly in Earth's atmosphere last year, and scientists who reported the change don't know why it occurred.

Dr Semiletov has suggested several possible reasons why methane is now being released from the Arctic, including the rising volume of relatively warmer water being discharged from Siberia's rivers due to the melting of the permafrost on the land.

The Arctic region as a whole has seen a 4C rise in average temperatures over recent decades and a dramatic decline in the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by summer sea ice. Many scientists fear that the loss of sea ice could accelerate the warming trend because open ocean soaks up more heat from the sun than the reflective surface of an ice-covered sea.

[LoneCrusader]

We've survivied nothing.... Our ancestors, who were experts at survival, survived some minor hurdles. Most of us however, well, most of us would starve without a microwave.

Put us through an ice age now, and can how many billions would starve? And what would happen to how huge monstrous technology deck of cards?


Now, back to the methane ice sheets thawing due to global warming... The last time that happened, most of life on earth (plant/animal) died...

Couple of quotes:-

Washington (US) October 31, 2008 - Levels of climate-warming methane -- a greenhouse gas 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide -- rose abruptly in Earth's atmosphere last year, and scientists who reported the change don't know why it occurred.

Dr Semiletov has suggested several possible reasons why methane is now being released from the Arctic, including the rising volume of relatively warmer water being discharged from Siberia's rivers due to the melting of the permafrost on the land.

The Arctic region as a whole has seen a 4C rise in average temperatures over recent decades and a dramatic decline in the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by summer sea ice. Many scientists fear that the loss of sea ice could accelerate the warming trend because open ocean soaks up more heat from the sun than the reflective surface of an ice-covered sea.


yeah, but now we have bunkers and cellars and stuff.

[Neil]

yeah, but now we have bunkers and cellars and stuff.

You're joking right?

In a world where the methane sheets have melted, the majority of the world is a desert. Most animal and plant life (land and sea) is dead...

But I'm sure the human race can happily survive in their cellars playing on their XBox360s :rolleyes:

[LoneCrusader]

You're joking right?

In a world where the methane sheets have melted, the majority of the world is a desert. Most animal and plant life (land and sea) is dead...

But I'm sure the human race can happily survive in their cellars playing on their XBox360s :rolleyes:



LOL


my bad, wasn't paying much attention. i was just thinking of a "Day After Tomorrow" scenario.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Neil the human race is already fucked, its just that no wants to admit it.

:D

[Arcades057]

http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/watch/climate_change/change.htm

The bottom graph is the best illustration of the point that man-made global warming is a) a hoax, or b) overstated. I don't believe that it's a hoax overall; I do believe that there are some hucksters out there just trying to make a buck, and they are leading all the feel-good, do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do crowd by the nose.

When you see a guy like Algore preaching on global warming and such, then he's jetting around on a private jet... or the Hollywood celebs showing up in DC on their own private planes after waxing philosophic about the environment, these things make me think that they know it's not nearly as bad as they would like you to believe; they are just doing it to make themselves feel better at our expense.

And the government is happy enough to tack on more taxes to things like gasoline due to global warming. Everyone prospers--except us.

[Danny]

everyone knows its the lack of pirates causing it.

[clanglee]

I really can't bring myself to be bothered too much about it to be honest. What will be will be. But I do believe that yes. . Man has an effect on the environment, but this craze is mostly wallet driven.

[sammylou]

Are you for real about that asteroid coming so close to Earth it goes under communication dishes?

[MoonSylver]

Are you for real about that asteroid coming so close to Earth it goes under communication dishes?

Yep. 100% real deal. I think someone posted a link w/ more info?

[Neil]

Yep. 100% real deal. I think someone posted a link w/ more info?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis


On Friday, April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass Earth within the orbits of geosynchronous communication satellites. It will return for another close Earth approach in 2036.

[Safari Mike]

We've survivied nothing.... Our ancestors, who were experts at survival, survived some minor hurdles. Most of us however, well, most of us would starve without a microwave.
Put us through an ice age now, and can how many billions would starve? And what would happen to how huge monstrous technology deck of cards?


Now, back to the methane ice sheets thawing due to global warming... The last time that happened, most of life on earth (plant/animal) died... That means human civilisation would be gone. Yes, some humans might survive, somehow, but I suspect it would be a decreasing number as resources failed them.

Couple of quotes:-

Washington (US) October 31, 2008 - Levels of climate-warming methane -- a greenhouse gas 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide -- rose abruptly in Earth's atmosphere last year, and scientists who reported the change don't know why it occurred.

Dr Semiletov has suggested several possible reasons why methane is now being released from the Arctic, including the rising volume of relatively warmer water being discharged from Siberia's rivers due to the melting of the permafrost on the land.

The Arctic region as a whole has seen a 4C rise in average temperatures over recent decades and a dramatic decline in the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by summer sea ice. Many scientists fear that the loss of sea ice could accelerate the warming trend because open ocean soaks up more heat from the sun than the reflective surface of an ice-covered sea.


It would be quite interesting to see how the balance of power in humanity would immediately shift in this scenario. The skill to purify water, start fires, build shelter and physically repel enemies would again become the primary attritubes ala neanderthal times while more esoteric mental skills would be worthless. Nobody needs Baudelinaire when they really need someone to crack some stones and flint together and start a fire.

Thats why one should not only know the structure of haiku but how to gather water in the desert.

[Eyebiter]

In nature there is a cycle of life.

Over time a certain species will gradually increase until the population become too large. At some point when a species becomes too numerous a significant event occurs that rapidly decreases population numbers. Climate change, a disease that kills off the majority of a particular animal species, or a new species evolves to take the place of the old.

Until recently hominids were part of this cycle. When you look into our own prehistory, there are several different species of extinct human like mammals. Over time Homo Sapiens managed to evolve to become the modern human of today.

During this period of evolution humans we were subject to frequent culls just like animals. It seems that every generation experienced a pandemic disease that reduced anywhere from 5-20% of the overall population. Smallpox, measles, influenza, plague, typhus... the list goes on.

This was one of several natural checks that contained human population growth. However with the recent (last 500 years) development of technology, things have changed. Our understanding of medicine and technology has reduced the number of lives lost to disease. We have developed farming methods that allowed more humans to survive. And our population increased...

http://wilderdom.com/images/WorldPopulationGraph.jpg

That brings us to today. Our numbers have increased to the point that if there is any major disruption in the current economic and social system it's possible billions of people will perish. What happens if technology fails?

If you think things in Sub Saharan Africa are bad, what happens when that kind of drought or starvation occurs in a nation with advanced technology weapons and a huge population to support (India, Russia, China). Or a regional power armed with nuclear weapons (Iran, Pakistan, Brazil, North Korea) decides to use force to settle long standing disputes over resources.

By 2025 many nations will be in a position to either use their military advantage or lose it. If you think the brush fire wars of the last few years were bad, you just wait. Our enemies dream of ending their vendettas under a the shadow of a mushroom cloud.

Now will this next series of wars result in the complete extinction of humans? Doubtful.

But 100 years from now there will be many that wonder how we squandered our wealth, prosperity, and opportunity on such trivial concerns. How fast we went from space flight, computers, and mass media culture to global chaos.

What is that old Chinese adage about may you live in interesting times?

[Edison Carter]

As goes Iceland so goes the rest of the world
2025 is a rather generous figure.

In the USA keep an eye on California,...thousands of prisoners furloughed with nary a burger flipping,grass cutting,construction job
for any of them.

I doubt the burgeoning welfare state of illegally
hosted southern ambassadors (500k in LA county alone)
will take an IOU when their time of the month rolls around.

We have at most months,...I proffer that as the Muslims know which way to pray towards Mecca,..time is short for all and sundry rough
beasts to learn which way to slouch towards Bethlehem.
PS
The military should remove all nuclear weapons
from there toot suite (ASAP).

[Neil]

We have at most months,...Huh??

[AcesandEights]

Thats why one should not only know the structure of haiku but how to gather water in the desert.

Dry and parched I'm not
Trapping dew, tapping cacti,
mugging bedouins... :shifty: