Will future climate change cause human civilization to collapse?
by timparkinson
Question by Dana1981: Will future climate change cause human civilization to collapse?
The 2009 State of the Future report runs to 6,700 pages and draws on contributions from 2,700 experts around the globe, backed by a diverse range of leading organisations such as Unesco, the World Bank, the US Army, and the Rockefeller Foundation. The report concludes
“An effort on the scale of the Apollo mission that sent men to the Moon is needed if humanity is to have a fighting chance of surviving the ravages of climate change. The stakes are high, as, without sustainable growth, “billions of people will be condemned to poverty and much of civilisation will collapse”.
However, there’s some good news in the report. “The authors suggest the threats could also provide the potential for a positive future for all. “The good news is that the global financial crisis and climate change planning may be helping humanity to move from its often selfish, self-centred adolescence to a more globally responsible adulthood… Many perceive the current economic disaster as an opportunity to invest in the next generation of greener technologies, to rethink economic and development assumptions, and to put the world on course for a better future.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/the-planets-future-climate-change-will-cause-civilisation-to-collapse-1742759.html
What are your thoughts?
Starbuck – I didn’t write the report or even say anything about it. If you want to call the US Army, World Bank, etc. “left wing alarmist uneducated” feel free, because these are their conclusions.
Best answer:
Answer by f100_supersabre
WHAT CIVILIZATION??
Add your own answer in the comments!
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about 1 year ago
It seems unlikely to me that the long-term sustainable human population of the Earth is anywhere near even the *current* population, let alone the 9 billion or more predicted for a few decades’ time. We might be able to feed and support 6 billion or so *now*, by using up resources and turning them into waste, but clearly on a finite planet that can’t go on forever. It doesn’t look good.
““I reckon there are about 80 per cent more people than the world can carry” – Lovelock.
about 1 year ago
I think climate-related problems will certainly play some part in a future collapse of civilization, but that other, more obvious surface-level problems, such as resource mismanagement that leads to clean water shortages, food shortages, price spikes in food and oil, and then widespread social unrest will probably receive most of the credit when that time rolls around. Unless the climate shifts very, very rapidly, I doubt that it will be seen as the primary cause of collapse.
It’s in our short-sighted nature to look at the most immediate causes and ignore what set it in motion. Like suggesting that someone was killed by a speeding bullet but ignoring who fired the gun.
about 1 year ago
5 billion years when the sun swells up and burns the Earth.
about 1 year ago
There is an answer better than the one you quote that would allow a hundred time the current population without any shortages or energy supply problems. The only real problem is that fanatical believers in the Limits to Growth religion will fight real solutions just like Jimmy Carter and every oil company sponsored democrat since.
http://www.nss.org/settlement/ColoniesInSpace/index.html
The material in this book is real honest science and some of it was already under construction when Carter took office with massive oil company funding and scrapped the future.
Maybe you should read some real life science instead of the fictional fantasies you are always quoting from for a change.
about 1 year ago
I won’t be able to interpret this report until it is analyzed (which is something I can’t do). For example, what climate scenario were they given before they even put pen to paper?
about 1 year ago
The army has contingency plans for everything. The most certainly don’t believe that fairytale is likely to happen.
about 1 year ago
I see the civilization of today following a technological path and ultimately destroying itself with artificial intelligence. Humans need to find other things to rely on than the resources. Really, if the production of something so simple like Twinkies takes so much, then if we shut it down, how much more would we have in the long run?
about 1 year ago
I agree with Buying with voting’s comments.
about 1 year ago
First of all, let me state that I believe long-term global climate change is occurring, but I do not have an opinion on the outcome or the significance of mankind’s impact on the rate of change.
However, I am convinced that climactic zones will change and shift-that some areas are becoming warmer while others are cooling, other areas are getting wetter while others are getting dryer, and as a result we will see a lot of arable land and many agricultural zones shift from one region to another.
The speed with which this occurs will be a major factor in sustaining civilization, although how one defines civilization would have some bearing on the entire scenario. For example, if the U.S. is unable to sustain agriculture on the scale it presently does, that would almost certainly cause the collapse of this country, but the loss of what one might define as ‘civilization’ might very well emerge in another zone or region someplace else on the planet.
But a general collapse of civilization into chaos and anarchy world-wide? No, I don’t think that would happen. I think there would be a long period of unrest but some semblance of civilization will remain regardless.
about 1 year ago
As CO2 levels in the atmosphere rise plants continue to grow much faster as it’s the gas they use for photosynthesis. This is extremely beneficial to horticulture and will definitely help to supply more food to the world.
Also a warmer climate is also beneficial to humankind and animal life.
Even though CO2 is a minor greenhouse gas and human hydrocarbon use can’t affect the world’s temperature The world is both benefiting from the extra CO2 and if the world continues to warm; Great!
about 1 year ago
NO-it won’t. But, it will be a factor in the world mercantile system’s collapse as well as tremendouse species extinction. But, man’s social evolution will allow the species to continue -albeit in a different social and habitatual environment than it is living presently.
about 1 year ago
That is sooo funny. Finally some highly educated people get together and come to a conclusion that many many people reached decades ago.
What do i think? I wrote a draft for a sci-fi-fable set around 2552. The basic premise was that we DID NOT resolve these problem sets in time.
Wars broke out, as they have now in Iraq, Afghanistan and Alaska, civilisation collapsed, but out of the ashes a new civilisation calling on remnant indigenous knowledge and equity, justice etc for solutions.
It re-stimulated human civilisation, sure, but only AFTER the massive, global collapse.
Fu*kup this one and there is one NASTY future in store.
The younger you are, potentially, the more you stand to suffer from your complacency and lack of awareness.
The wealthy elite must be imposed upon to donate 60% of their entire wealth to redress global, man-made environmental collapse, and irreversible pollution of the biosphere.
about 1 year ago
no. we’ll run out of oil before global warming causes any real problems…there’s a million and one ways for our civilization to collapse way more urgent than global warming.
about 1 year ago
THE greatest threat to human kind by far is the next Earth crossing asteroid that comes around. Not AGW or natural Climate shifts. Humans have survived much worse climate shifts in the past and done so without the aid of todays technology. Your question and opinion lacks common sense.
about 1 year ago
That is am interesting link, isn’t it Dana? I used it the other day to answer one of Starbuck’s questions: “The world is in a serious financial condition. Is it wise to add further economic hazards now?” http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgeYN8XOo.tHp2FZCh3kgBHBFQx.;_ylv=3?qid=20090712075806AAoQTDd
about 1 year ago
If this madness of manmade global warming and the carbon footprint thing keeps going. We either not have jobs and we will starve because of the carbon tax or some dumb ‘A’ will decide that all life on this globe produces carbon dioxide and we’ll all have to go!
about 1 year ago
I actually think the list of things that might cause the collapse of civilization is a long and frightening list.
Climate change is probably high on the list.
about 1 year ago
Will it?,if you study the historical evidence of past civilization we are already in the late stages of collapse,climate change will just seal the deal
about 1 year ago
My thoughts on this are we are not sure what will happen in future for climate change. Some areas will flourish while some will not. This is happening now. Do we really know how the climate will change the next 20yrs plus. I really don’t think we do. But as a side note I totally agree with the article in the fact that the climate and economic “crisis” is humbling people. This is the perfect time to invest in new opportunities such as green technology. Because no matter who the culprit is on the current warming there is nothing wrong with cleaning up the environment. Renewable resources are a must even if it doesn’t stop the climate from warming at least we won’t be hung out to dry when we start to deplete our oil and other non renewable resources, which will happen.
about 1 year ago
Forty years ago this was (from a mainstream perspective) wildly speculative radical environmental dogma.
So now it’s mainstream. We’re making progress. How long before the average person gets it?
I think the Apollo thing is a misnomer. That was one narrowly defined objective on a small scale. Big philosophically maybe, but technically small. Climate change is much bigger. It’s an Apollo project for every government, every city, every corporation, every neighborhood, every family, everyone, everywhere.
It is like Apollo in one way – we have the technology in principle – it’s just a matter of will.
It’s not at all clear whether we can do it.
I foresee suffering on the scale of billions. Whatever way you think best to approach the problem, start now.