The apocalyptic worldview springs from a desire to reconcile two conflicting beliefs. It feels like the rapture, so thank you all for that! Perhaps my favorite discussion of the rapture, though, is taking place among those who believe the end is near, just not that near. Live Science asked the historian Lorenzo DiTommaso to give an explanation of why people like thinking about the end of the world: The apocalyptic worldview springs from a desire to reconcile two conflicting beliefs.
More: Apocalypse Prophecy Rapture. Some experts believe this caused the greatest mass plant and animal extinction in human history, bringing the species to the brink of extinction. How likely is that to happen today? For now, it only exists in computer models, but the first experiment is being planned by Harvard researchers. Solar geoengineering is one of two emerging technologies that could manipulate the atmosphere and reduce climate risk.
Manipulation on this scale without understanding the effects could turn out to be catastrophic for the human race. Artificial intelligence AI is progressing rapidly.
Surveyed scientists estimate, on average, that there is a 50 percent chance of AI being able to perform most tasks as well as, or better than, humans by , with at least a 5 percent chance of surpassing human intelligence a couple of years after that. The bigger concern is that it will become too good at its job. The implications become much more frightening when you consider AI weapons in the hands of the wrong person, or an AI arms race leading to an AI war.
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Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. South Korean conservative protesters participate in a rally a day after North Korea announced it had conducted a third nuclear test on February 13, , in Seoul. Next Up In Future Perfect. Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email required. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. Coastal cities in Bangladesh, Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere have suffered brutal infrastructure destruction and extreme flooding, killing many thousands and displacing millions.
This happens with increasing frequency now. Because multiple disasters are often happening simultaneously, it can take weeks or even months for basic food and water relief to reach areas pummeled by extreme floods.
Diseases such as malaria, dengue, cholera, respiratory illnesses, and malnutrition are rampant. Diseases spread by mosquitoes and ticks are rampant as these species flourish in the changed climate, spreading to previously safe parts of the planet, increasingly overwhelming us.
Worse still, the public health crisis of antibiotic resistance has only intensified as the population has grown denser in habitable areas and temperatures continue to rise. Every day, because of rising water levels, some part of the world must evacuate to higher ground.
Every day you see images of mothers with babies strapped to their backs, wading through floodwaters. News stories tell of people living in houses with water up to their ankles because they have nowhere else to go, their children coughing and wheezing because of the mold growing in their beds, insurance companies declaring bankruptcy leaving survivors without resources to rebuild their lives. Those who remain on the coast must now witness the demise of a way of life based on fishing.
As oceans have absorbed carbon dioxide, the water has become more acidic and is now so hostile to marine life that all but a few countries have banned fishing, even in international waters. Many people insist that the few fish that are left should be enjoyed while they last—an argument, hard to fault in many parts of the world, that applies to so much that is vanishing.
As devastating as rising oceans have been, droughts and heat waves inland have created a special hell. Vast regions have succumbed to severe aridification, sometimes followed by desertification. Wildlife there has become a distant memory. Cities such as Marrakech and Volgograd are on the verge of becoming deserts. Hong Kong, Barcelona, Abu Dhabi, and many others have been desalinating seawater for years, desperately trying to keep up with the constant wave of immigration from areas that have gone completely dry.
Extreme heat is on the march. This is no longer the headline-grabbing event it would have been 30 years ago. Everyone stays inside, drinks water, and dreams of air-conditioning.
You lie on your couch, a cold, wet towel over your face, and try to rest without dwelling on the poor farmers on the outskirts of town who, despite recurrent droughts and wildfires, are still trying to grow grapes, olives, or soy—luxuries for the rich, not for you. Places such as central India are becoming increasingly challenging to inhabit. Mass migrations to less hot rural areas are beset by a host of refugee problems, civil unrest, and bloodshed over diminished water availability.
Even in some parts of the United States, there are fiery conflicts over water, battles between the rich who are willing to pay for as much water as they want and everyone else demanding equal access to the life-enabling resource. The taps in nearly all public facilities are locked, and those in restrooms are coin-operated.
At the federal level, Congress is in an uproar over water redistribution: states with less water demand what they see as their fair share from states that have more.
Government leaders have been stymied on the issue for years, and with every passing month the Colorado River and the Rio Grande shrink further.
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