Stephen Hawking on human extinction

What sort of events could destroy the human race if it stays on one planet?
Hawking mentioned the possibility of nuclear war or climate change as being the cause of human extinction.


http://news.yahoo.com/stephen-hawking-colonize-space-end-human-race-192615409.html


“…One of the most serious consequences of our actions is global warming brought about by rising levels of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels. The danger is that the temperature increase may become self-sustaining, if it hasn’t done so already. Drought and deforestation are reducing the amount of carbon dioxide recycled into the atmosphere and the warming of the seas may trigger the release of large quantities of carbon dioxide trapped on the ocean floor. In addition the melting of the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets will reduce the amount of solar energy reflected back into space and so increase the temperature further. We don’t know where global warming will stop but the worst case scenario is that the earth will become like its sister planet Venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees C and rain sulphuric acid. The human race could not survive in those conditions.”



What a dope ! Doesn't he global warming is all big scam perpetrated by Al Gore?

 

Plus i could kick his ass in a foot race....

 

edit

What a dope ! Doesn't he....."KNOW".... global warming is all big scam perpetrated by Al Gore?

how embarrassing

 

Yep, how embarrassing that one of the smartest minds of our lifetime doesn't agree with you, but does agree with Al Gore. Makes one wonder.


c

 

Sometimes people are brilliant in one area of thought and complete neophites in others.

It's global cooling that man needs to worry about. We are due for another ice age to start any time and the world won't support billions of people when that happens. If the earth goes snow-ball again, no one is going to survive. Scientists believe the change occurs over just a matter of a couple decades once it starts so don't think there are thousands of years to prepare.

If only we really could warm the planet.

 

I would probably help the AGW cause if their chief representative wasn't a "crazed sex poodle".

 

OK, that is funny.


c

 

No, I do agree with him. I was trying to post correct. I had left out the "know" in the above post and could not edit it. I should have just let it be.

I also use sarcasm too much.

 

Wow, that's so incredibly and totally wrong I don't know where to begin. Let me guess...Fox News watcher?

 

Excellent post. Yes, the real worry is an ice age which can occur relatively rapidly and for which there is direct evidence that they have occurred in the past.

Dickheads like futurecurrents are driven by a combination of gullibility, ignorance and the overwhelming desire to force others to behave as they want. Its really just a very pure form of liberalism.

When Obama is reelected he'll clearly just implement Cap and Trade regardless of what the people of the United States want. I can see it coming. Fuel emission and fuel economy rules for vehicles will be made so stringent and draconion that many will be forced to give up private transporation. Additional evidence of this can be found in the boneheaded and unsound high-speed rail initiatives that the Obama regime is attempting to push onto many parts of the country. So far only California has been stupid (read: liberal) enough to buy into the farce but even they are having serious second thoughts...the expenses are unsustainable and unjustified by any estimate of utilization.

Again, great post. Its iceball Earth that we should fear.