Quote:
Originally Posted by skysurfer
The latest years there is lot of bad news about oceans overloaded with plastic waste, global warming, etc.
Warning: A Pessimistic view.
And to my opinion, unfortunately there are no signs of improvement. The Paris agreement on global warming, laws against deforestration slow down the deterioration of the environment a little.
Plastic packaging is still mass produced and despite government efforts (the EU plans to ban disposable plastics by 2030 which is way too late while the US is doing nothing), tropical forests in Brasil or Congo are shrinking faster than ever, a German and British research shows that insects numbers are shrunk by 1/3 since the 1970, while these are essential for all life on Earth.
When this continues and we (mostly the big corporations) have a mantra growth, growth, growth in this pace I guess the de-terraformed world in 2070 will look like:
* Less people in the world than now as many are died by disasters with extreme weather, wars on depleting water and other resources. And India, China and Africa getting more prosperous are exacerbating the running out resources.
* The Big Five in Africa are all extinct
* Middle East (e.g. Dubai) and India are unlivable hot in summer with temperatures of 50-60 C
* W Europe is unlivable cold with blizzards and strong cold snaps in winter due to the Gulfstream shutdown which is a result of global warming while S Europe and SW USA are deserts with almost no rainfall and extreme hot in summer. Maybe NSW and VIC are much drier than now.
* The US south east coast and Queensland have several heavy floodings and rainfall every year, much more than in the 2020s.
* Super thunderstorms are getting common.
* Australia has a population of over 100-200 or maybe 500 million of which 50 million live in greater Sydney, mostly refugees, even from W Europe because it is a 'safe haven' compared to the overpopulated and ecological disaster infested northern hemisphere. The same may apply to Argentina and Chile.
* Brasil, Indonesia and Africa's rain forests are almost all slashed and burned. Queensland has the only primeval tropical rainforests (except from a few islands in Indian and Pacific Ocean) in the world.
* Light pollution is so bad that only Australia (excepy NSW/VIC/QLD), south of S America, Antarctica and the oceans can see the Milky Way
* Our dependency on technology is so severe that at disasters which occur more frequently cut people off from outside world, because a cashless economy and other trade and transport depend heavily on vulnerable technology. Power blackouts are getting more common due to extreme weather.
* Space travel is almost impossible due to much more space debris inhibits launching space vehicles beyond Low Earth Orbit.
* Cities are full of jammed cars, despite being electric. The enormous electrical power amounts mankind uses had implications, even if all is renewable. When large costal areas are filled with wind farms and more and more rivers inundate natural areas for hydropower.
* The ice free North Pole region is almost devoid of natural life because of oil drilling and shipping routes.
* Glaciers are only in the Himalaya and Antarcica. The Andes, EU Alps, Kilimanjaro and NZ Alps are without snow.
And beyond ? Maybe mankind wakes up when world population has shrunk < 1 billion. Otherwise mankind will extinct. Moving to other planets ? Not easy, as long as we are unable to keep Earth terraformed, we cannot terraforming Mars or Venus.
Pessimistic ? Well when we continue like we live now this maybe the world after 50 years.
I hope I am completely wrong.
WE SHOULD CONSUME LESS
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An excellent diagnosis.
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Originally Posted by LewisM
My opinion: radioactive wasteland. Won't matter a zot what the weather/oceans/atmosphere will be like.
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This is a real possibility. Why? As larger areas of land become uninhabitable, the large countries (US, China and Russia) will fight to take control of them. Things will get nasty, with the attitude of "if we can't have it, then no one can". The global economy as we know it is unsustainable. We are already seeing the start of its failure. Population will drastically reduce due to wars and to the wealthy pricing the basics such as shelter, food and water beyond the realms of 95% of the population. A dystopian society will ensure that the people do not rise up against the powers that be. Australia will be particularly vulnerable and will be assimilated by the Chinese - resources, food, and potentially a still semi liveable habitat. If you think the US or UK will protect Australia, you are sorely naive and mistaken.
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Originally Posted by leon
I don't expect I will be here at that time,  but i reckon a deadly super disease will cleanse this planet with few remaining  and/or as Lewis said a nuclear wasteland
Either way we will kill our self's off, its the young of today that will carry this burden.
Leon  |
The best thing that can happen to us as a species, and the rest of the planet is a super virus that takes out 99% of the human global population. It is indeed possible (1918 flu outbreak as an example). There is growing evidence to suggest that any such super virus would probably be man made (if you think the US military isn't experimenting with such things, you are a FOOL).
As to thermonuclear war, it won't take much to pretty much wipe out the entire planet. Even as little as 100 medium sized nukes is enough to do the job. An interesting TED talk on the subject...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7hOpT0lPGI&t=713s