End of the world (ish) scenario 99% mortality

[ianh]

What do you mean 'cut themselves' and 'sneeze and sniff'

I think they're saying "get ill" which is a good point TBF as, without access to modern medicine and/or enough GP/A&E-type docs to tell you which medicine to use to heal you, even small things could be life threatening.

 

[Ranger07]

Nuclear pollution would be a massive problem, even if the power stations didn't melt down when all the workers disappeared, there would be no one left to safely decommission them.

The used fuel rods have to be kept in large pools to cool down, I'm no expert but wouldn't this water boil off when there is no one there to monitor it?

Then there are also nearly 14k nuclear warheads in the world which would end up decaying if not exploding through lack of maintenance.

The folks in this thread who said they would shoot themselves might have the right idea

 

[200sols]

I think they're saying "get ill" which is a good point TBF as, without access to modern medicine and/or enough GP/A&E-type docs to tell you which medicine to use to heal you, even small things could be life threatening.

I think this would be a problem in the future but there will be enough meds to service everyone in the country to start with. I disagree with his 'they will all dead in weeks' which was the only legible part of his post.

 

[Tefal]

Nuclear pollution would be a massive problem, even if the power stations didn't melt down when all the workers disappeared, there would be no one left to safely decommission them.

The used fuel rods have to be kept in large pools to cool down, I'm no expert but wouldn't this water boil off when there is no one there to monitor it?

Then there are also nearly 14k nuclear warheads in the world which would end up decaying if not exploding through lack of maintenance.

The folks in this thread who said they would shoot themselves might have the right idea

So don't choice to start your new medieval society next to a nuclear reactor

 

[Tefal]

Really??? I mean I know you're not building a locomotive unit but even a basic Watt type "factory" engine would be a stretch considering there'd be just 7 blacksmiths left alive in the entire UK. Then you run into issues such as - would any of those on their own have access to the raw materials needed to build every single part (various metals, rubber, bearings, plastic, nuts/bolts etc), or the technical diagrams or know how to create stampings/castings/parts for a steam engine, or will they be able to transport it after it's built to a place where it'll be used etc?

"Traditional" skills previously handed down generation to generation have virtually died out, so we'd have to re-learn everything from books alone, which never really give a full account of those small indelible things which are often personal knowledge i.e. the hand me down stuff mentioned previously, and are usually the little details of how to get the best out of a machine or process.

We have standardised parts tbf so you could likely bodge something together from mostly existing things.


I mean Heck there's Steam engine in museaums you could just nick. Actually now I think about it moving into something like a museaum could be an idea there's lots of rudimentary machines in industrial ones from looms to hand lathes and various engines

 

[413x]

In UK you'd be unlikely to survive. Its too heavily populated and thus gangs would form. It would be brutal.

I know what I'd do. Use any means necessary to head to a warmer (so. It's not cold all year) and remote (so come across less mobs) location

This would require Waaaay more than 99 percent death rate.

You're talking 99.9999...% type scenarios


Society would likely collapse. It would be absolute carnage. Its actually harder to imagine what a 99 percent insta death rate (ie thanos) would look like that a end of the world type death rate.

 

[Chris Wilson]

We have standardised parts tbf so you could likely bodge something together from mostly existing things.


I mean Heck there's Steam engine in museaums you could just nick. Actually now I think about it moving into something like a museaum could be an idea there's lots of rudimentary machines in industrial ones from looms to hand lathes and various engines

Let's hope the young "activists" haven't done any damage in the name of stopping using fossil fuels....

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...cupy-science-museum-over-fossil-fuel-sponsors

 

[potatolord]

In a situation where like 99% just drop dead I doubt there will be any level of organisation really - the authorities will largely be non-existent in something that apocalyptic.

You are best off just hoarding enough supplies to see you through the initial months and going to ground somewhere you won't easily be discovered.

You only have to go back 500 years or so and the population wasn't much bigger than if 99% disappeared tomorrow so I'd imagine in the longer run those that survive would reform some kind of society.

The authorities would be the whole of the UK public sector, including police, armed forces. A command structure would emerge very quickly, and would need to own resources to maintain control.

Agree on the going to ground. The first few months would be incredibly dangerous. I would see wild dogs as as a huge risk to anyone caught in the open for several months.

The population In the 16th century was in the millions, and was still recovering from the black death in thec14th century. Prior to 1350ish, it was far higher than it was a hundred years later.

 

[PlacidCasual]

Some of the things we're discussing are highly apocalypse dependent. Big nuclear war that's a tough one most stuff you need is irradiated in cities, you're back to hunter gather and early agriculture possibly. Magic events kills 99% instantly yup you've got planes falling and nuclear reactors melting down, but actually most cities will be ok so a reasonable amount of resources left. Fast plague might lead to a few wars but actually lots of gear should be left in near perfect condition as there is time to park up vehicles and turn off major infrastructure. Slow plague now it might be bad because lots of people have got lots of time to panic about the end of the World, wars and nukes might be kicking off big time. Overshoot on your 1% because of societies break down.

As long as we're not into utter obliteration of cities loads of resources will be hanging around so you don't need to learn how to make steel only melt and re-forge/cast. Lots of existing equipment will lats a long time and there will be spares. Should be absolutely loads of diesel around and generators that can use it. Maintaining refrigeration on a small scale should be totally doable. Medicine is the kicker, you'll probably be going back to ether and caustic for any kind of operation and the lack of anti-biotics will seriously increase the death rate. Getting any kind of pharmaceutical industry up and running will be a major bugger. Sure talented chemists can use existing supplies of precursor chemicals for a while but ultimately you have to rebuild that entire supply chain bottom up.

 

[Tefal]

Let's hope the young "activists" haven't done any damage in the name of stopping using fossil fuels....

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...cupy-science-museum-over-fossil-fuel-sponsors

UKSCN London had earlier tweeted that the institution was “denying us access to basic safety and hygiene by locking the toilets and refusing to give us safe, sanitary and dignified toilet facilities”.

Well yes you're illegally squating in a mueasum not paying for a hotel.

 

[potatolord]

What "Authorities", they'd have been reduced by 99% just like the rest of the world so, for example, out of 650 MP's there'd be 6 left, out of 160k police there'd be 1600 left (for the entire UK), out of 153k Armed Forces you're down to 1500 etc plus I'd guess nobody, anywhere in the world, would still turn up for work the next day after an apocalypse



Yeap, absolutely 100% agree on that! Afterwards it'd be whose able to adapt to living like its pre-industrial revolution again, due to low population, low technology use (it'd all be broken and unfixable within a short time) so back to full manual/animal labour, maybe some water wheels at most.

The authorities is all of the public sector (Inc police, armed forces, civil service) and anyone they give an armband to.

The loss of skills would be the real killer. A lot of people can't even change a plug...

 

[ianh]

I mean Heck there's Steam engine in museums you could just nick. Actually now I think about it moving into something like a museum could be an idea there's lots of rudimentary machines in industrial ones from looms to hand lathes and various engines

Oh thats a great point I hadn't thought about!

 

[R.P.L]

The authorities is all of the public sector (Inc police, armed forces, civil service) and anyone they give an armband to.

The loss of skills would be the real killer. A lot of people can't even change a plug...

I think the point is that if you remove 99% if the people from these authorities then they'll fall apart and cease to have any authority.

 

[potatolord]

I think the point is that if you remove 99% if the people from these authorities then they'll fall apart and cease to have any authority.

Dunno. I suspect there is sufficient critical mass of "authorities" to assert control. The alternative is anarchy. "All most men seek is a kind master", as they say.

The more I think of this, the more I see wild dogs as probably the biggest immediate threat to life. Any large town could see dozens of dogs forming into packs very quickly. Given the popularity of pitbull types where I live, that's fairly terrifying.

 

[200sols]

Dunno. I suspect there is sufficient critical mass of "authorities" to assert control. The alternative is anarchy. "All most men seek is a kind master", as they say.

The more I think of this, the more I see wild dogs as probably the biggest immediate threat to life. Any large town could see dozens of dogs forming into packs very quickly. Given the popularity of pitbull types where I live, that's fairly terrifying.

Those dogs aren't wild. That wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Chris Wilson]

University "Safe Spaces" would be at a premium, overcrowded and salty.

Dunno. I suspect there is sufficient critical mass of "authorities" to assert control. The alternative is anarchy. "All most men seek is a kind master", as they say.

The more I think of this, the more I see wild dogs as probably the biggest immediate threat to life. Any large town could see dozens of dogs forming into packs very quickly. Given the popularity of pitbull types where I live, that's fairly terrifying.

If you live in England "Pitbull types" are illegal already.

And Tefal yes, my apologies I did mean to add earlier, your museum idea was simple and creative, very good indeed.

 

[R.P.L]

Dunno. I suspect there is sufficient critical mass of "authorities" to assert control. The alternative is anarchy. "All most men seek is a kind master", as they say.

The more I think of this, the more I see wild dogs as probably the biggest immediate threat to life. Any large town could see dozens of dogs forming into packs very quickly. Given the popularity of pitbull types where I live, that's fairly terrifying.

I'm not saying the alternative is what people would choose. I just don't see how any organisation wouldn't fall apart completely if you remove nearly everyone from it. Unless nearly everyone is literally doing nothing, which I suppose could be a fair point when talking about the public sector

It seems impossible to me that you could take any organisation and remove nearly everyone in it, and still have it function to any degree at all. A lot of departments would lose everyone and you'd end up with a few randoms who probably have never heard of each other.

 

[Quartz]

Really??? I mean I know you're not building a locomotive unit but even a basic Watt type "factory" engine would be a stretch considering there'd be just 7 blacksmiths left alive in the entire UK.

A Newcomen would suffice. But don't forget that there would be much to scavenge.

 

[dlockers]

I haven't kept abreast of the thread for a while - how did we go from fortifying CostCo to building a steam engine based on a 1700's design?

 

[Psycho Sonny]

In UK you'd be unlikely to survive. Its too heavily populated and thus gangs would form. It would be brutal.

I know what I'd do. Use any means necessary to head to a warmer (so. It's not cold all year) and remote (so come across less mobs) location

This would require Waaaay more than 99 percent death rate.

You're talking 99.9999...% type scenarios


Society would likely collapse. It would be absolute carnage. Its actually harder to imagine what a 99 percent insta death rate (ie thanos) would look like that a end of the world type death rate.

Lol

Scotland - 77,933 km2
Population at 1% = 50,000

Literally more than a square kilometer each person

I can't see how that is overpopulated. Oh I forgot... in England, London = UK.