Apocalypse - Yes? No?

[NeilF]

So, in our life time, or our kids life time (say the next 100yrs even), are we going to get an apocalypse? And by apocalypse I mean a substantial event that means a cataclysmic affect on humanity - Not the end of humanity, but a massive death rate, or a massive drop in technology level(s).

So:-
- Global warming: Causing starvation to some degree. Remember previous high temperatures on the earth have wiped out the majority of life on the planet.
- Ocean acidification: Again, starvation.
- Virus: H5N1 for example, has a mortality rate of about 2/3rds. If it makes the jump to humans, and transmits as easily as a normal flu? Who would go to work? Who would go to the shops to buy food? Who you fill the shops? Who would even leave the house?
- Fossil fuels: If nuclear fusion doesn't turn out to be viable, then what will happen when the fossil fuels run out? Famine and a drop in technology.
- Over population: 8-10-20 billion people. Where are all the resources going to come from.


Anyone think in 100yrs we would have sailed through all these pitfalls and still have progressed nicely?

 

[NeilF]

Most likley will be either desiese wiping us out or Gwobal wabbl. Fossil Fuels will eventually run out but by then our expierience with extracting biofuels will be more than sufficiant to keep us going besides if all else fails we can always go back to burning wood as a renewable fuel source

I think I'm right in saying bio fuels just cannot produce enough... Especially as we need crops to eat as well!

 

[NeilF]

So yeah, it is all down to if we get Fusion soon enough.

Amazing how important fusion is, yet how little effort is being put into getting it working! It should be a like the mission to put man on the moon, but on an even more global scale, yet we seem to be pottering along.

Estimates/guesses so far are its going to be 2050 till it's viable. That's a long time, and lot more people, and lot more Co2!

 

[NeilF]

By the time we reach the point of running out of fossil fules in the ground It'll be possible the biofules industry and technology is growing and advancing about as fast as computing technology at the moment. The crops used to create biofules are the ones that used for animal feed and not the crops for human consumption

Oh good! Cos we don't need meat do we

 

[NeilF]

think there will be a slow gradual degradation of the environment leading to widespread health issues, fertility issues, fresh water shortages and food production problems.

Good point! It's interested at the moment fertility is noticably dropping, and more and more people are getting strange allergies etc.

 

[NeilF]

Methane hydrate has the potential to be the next big thing as far as natural resources go ( apparently ) so i don't think it'll be the depletion of fossil fuels that proves to be the trigger.

I thought methane was an evern worse greenhouse gas than Co2.

Methane hydrates themselves are a big worry. If the oceans warm enough, they thaw from the ocean flaw and snowball (turbo charge) global warming... Horrible!

 

[NeilF]

Personally, and with Star-Trek-style optimism, I think we would have found some way to inhabit another planet/moon in 100yrs time.

The only things that I can think of in 100yrs that would cause a such devastation would be a super volcano eruption or comet strike, but as those events are pretty much unpredictable I tend not to worry about it and hope that if either does happen I am standing on the volcano or under the comet!

It's been 50 years since we were on the moon, and we've not taken a single step forwards since then... In a hundred years I suspect we might have a base on the moon, but might no have even put a man on mars...

 

[NeilF]

tbh one day the earth will die, once the sun explodes. i dout 4 hoursmen will come and destroy the earth. and if they do OMFG RUN

OP - "eg in the next 100 years"

 

[NeilF]

Theres no scientific evidence. It makes no mathmatical sense. There are 2 theories combined into one, which dont make sense.

Dont beleive it, its very far fetched.

No even if Roland Emmerich tells you? Oh hang on! That's even more of a reason not to!

 

[NeilF]

Of course, how we get there is still the biggest problem.

Indeed! It would take at least tens of thousands of years... Hmmm.... Slight problem there!