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man, intelligence has re-ordered the globe since beginning of life. the "problem" if any is science (intellect) is too much a success..not failure. would you have us remain dumb?
Realistically and theoritically speaking, there are 3 scenarios that might doom mankind..... 2 have occured in the past 10,000 yrs and are likely to repeat themselves. 1- a huge asteroid impact with the power of over a thousand hiroshimas 2- supervolcano eruption... 3- cyclicle climate change, next ice age all 3 of these have altered the course of life on earth in the past, just a question of when will it happen again....
Every species on earth exploits every resource possible without end. We are not special. As a member of Team People I say fuck em.
I read an interesting fact the other day regarding an asteroid colliding with Earth. The moon. Large craters on the moon, caused by collisions with asteroids over millions of years, are clearly visible. Given the fact that the moon is so close to the Earth, it is almost assured that in the past asteroids have also collided with Earth. But given the nature of Earth (tectonic plates, weathering, etc.) these craters are not as easily visible as on a surface such as the moon. It seems inevitable that the Earth will once again be hit by an asteroid. The questionable part about this is the effect it will have on mankind and the Earth. It may not happen for thousands and thousands of years, but one would think that eventually mankind will experience a giant asteroid colliding with Earth.
Looks like no one knows or even understands probabilities here. 5. Worldwide pandemic (plague, pox, take your pick) wiping out 2/3 of humankind. It could push peak oil into the future by 50 years... It has signifficantly higher chance occuring than any of the above and would take care of the problems for the lucky survivors...