"Here are the Top 10 threats to the survival of civilization" Topic

"Civilizations don't last forever. Just ask the Aztecs. Or the Maya. Or fans of the original Roman Empire.

From the ancient Myceneans in the Mediterranean to the Anasazi in Arizona, societies throughout history have often gone the way of the dinosaurs and the dodo. Wars, or disease, or altered weather patterns, or natural disasters, or famine have repeatedly tipped complex regional societies past the point of stability, initiating chaos, ruin and ultimately total demise.

In his original unabridged dictionary, published in 1828, Noah Webster defined civilization as "the state of being refined in manners, from the grossness of savage life, and improved in arts and learning."…"

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Armand

They forgot rolling twelve ones in a row.

Good list, thanks for sharing.

Come on, where are the zombies? Zombie Apocalypse has got to be on there.

Anything that lists the "climate change" hoax as a threat to civilization has zero credibility.

Sorry Tango.

A Carrington Event should be at or near the top of the list. Basically a large solar flare, estimates are a 0.7 – 1.0% chance of one hitting Earth each year. Last one was in 1859, we missed one by a couple days in 2012. The big problem is it would take out electrical transformers among other parts of the grid, replacing those components at scale would not be simple or quick. Failure of the electrical grid for 12 months is predicted to result in 70% to 90% mortality depending on which study you read.

+1 Stone Mountain

Climate change is the number one threat. Human stupidity is a close second.

I agree with Legionarius – human stupidity is way, way up there – and on that topic, where there is artificial intelligence there is bound to be artificial stupidity

Thanks!

Armand

I thought the PRC was the number 1 threat to civilization.

Legionarius +1

Especially the human stupidity part…..

As this thread shows, Darwin doesnt work fast enough to solve large issues.

Ha!…

Armand

Movie CGI. Chase scenes. Acronyms. High sodium content. Moving. Universal bad drivers. Brother in law with marginal human traits. High summer. Bad novels. Fishing in dog days. Unpainted figures in a game. Oh wait, that last one means the end has come.

Glup!… (smile)

Armand

I am also a little surprised that there is not a mention of EMPs. There are certainly a lot of Post-Apoc novels based on the premise.

Good point!…

Armand

At least 6 of those come down to "human stupidity", at least in my opinion. Just different possible flavors.

Climate is always changing. Remember something called the "Ice Age"? 10,000 years ago?

The list was okay, but to inject a dose of pessimism, The universe and Earth are flatly indifferent to our fates. Past extinction events were the result of geological changes or cosmic destruction. Climate played a role regardless of human activity. As far as we know, there were no internal combustion engines, aerosol cans, plastics, or gas stoves to explain the massive shifts in climate that have occurred over the geological record of the Earth.
In the scenario that plays in my head I find it would be ironic if all the Sky-is-Falling" remedies were employed to a draconian degree and the climate changes anyway, or there is an uptick in geological disasters that shut-down portions of the globe and lead to civilization collapse.