We ignore the possible destruction of our civilization on a daily basis. Mostly this is because we're evolved to look for the immediate threat and you have think and plan ahead for the big issues - we're not good at that.
- We've done next to nothing about possible asteroid / comet collisions after being told it's 100% going to happen sometime (probably not soon).
- We've done zip to protect against EMP from Solar prominence which has happened and will happen again. We also haven't prepared for a Terrorist / China/Russia/? nuke airburst. How hard do you think it would be to get 3+ small nuke tipped rockets on a container ship into the Gulf of Mexico, where they'd have plenty of range to blanket the entire US. I'm guessing not that hard. Although I do give credit to our black ops guys efforts to recapture nuclear materials stolen from Russia, Pakistan, well where ever. But there is still some out there. Not good.
- We happily ignore the three Super Volcano's we have in the US - Yellowstone is the one everyone knows about and ignores, then there's Valles Caldera in New Mexico, and Long Valley in California - they are inactive but to trust mother nature to treat us gently is perhaps a bit optimistic. And those are just ours. Talk about Climate Change.
- We don't ignore the possibility of pandemic but we've done very little to prepare for it - how many people have a clue as to how to behave, or have done anything to prepare for the 100% chance that it will happen (probably in my lifetime) - 1%, 2% - probably less.
- We've sort of given up worrying about an Nuclear War - which I'd put as a pretty low probability - but still, I'd be surprised if a fallout shelter has been built or restocked in 40 years.
- Can't do much about Earthquakes except build well - which we're doing, and prepare for long periods of almost no food, water, health services, transportation, etc - which we have mostly ignored.
- Since Economic performance is partially based on consumer confidence and, based on various polls over 50% of U.S. residents polled think that the economy is gong to collapse, I think that's grounds for concern. The economy and the stock markets are essentially self fulfilling prophecy - if everyone thinks it's going to collapse - it will - and we're better than 50% of the way there - Oh joy.
- Peak Oil leading to unaffordable gas, and a crippled transportation and power generation system - Maybe where close, maybe we're there. Here at least our technological prowess might save our collective asses for a while.
- Climate change - ok maybe you don't believe in global warming but there is WAY too much evidence for it to make me comfortable. It's one of those problems with a negative feedback loop - the worse it gets the faster it gets worse. Maybe we can do something about it - maybe not but it seems short sighted to not try. Is it possible that it's a hoax - No, just look at photographs of glaciers in Alaska and Greenland and you can see it's happening. Is it as bad as the media wants us to think - I have NO idea. Is it our fault? I suspect it's partially our fault and partially a natural swing - the timing was just bad.
- Link to the Climate change thing is Deforestation - between desertification in Africa and the burning of the rain forests in South America, we definitely have a problem. Both of which I think are still fixable if we just cared enough to actually do it.
Are you feeling all warm and fuzzy now?
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