How much time do we have left, do you think?

Question

There are the signs in the news about places that are bewildering the scientists why such places are dying off. For example the Salt marshes of the upper East coast. The Aspens in the Rocky Mountains, and the Changing of the Gulf Stream among others. There is more and more bad news about Global Warming, every day.
I suspect that its already too late to do anything about it.

So how much time does the human race have, before it gets really desperate just to survive? Because Civilization isn't going to last much longer, when we can't grow enough food and there isn't enough energy to go around for the things we take for granted.

Well, sure you will live out a normal lifetime - why should you care, but what about your children or your grandchildren, they're gonna have to deal with the difficulties of making a living and surviving in a hostile new world of "our" making.

Answer 1

I would not be surprised to find out we have as little as 20-30 years before things start to get desperate.

We have squandered not only our resources and our planet, but our time as well. There are numerous difficulties to moving into space, from cosmic radiation, to the deteriorating affects of low gravity on our bones. As such, finding a new home is not the option it might have been had we treated the current situation with the seriousness it deserves.

On top of the global warming crisis, it was recently reported in the local newspaper that if the human race continues to grow at it's present rate, we are less then 20 years away from a point where there will not be enough fresh water for every human to get their required amount every day.

Of course the rich and privileged nations will attempt to claim more then their fair share. We already do in everything else. When our greed reaches the point when we are hoarding fresh water however, the masses of the poor and thirsty will quickly overwhelms our defenses (at a huge coast of human life) and the downward spiral will begin.

The high tech nations, who would hold the only hope for saving the situation, will be brought low, because we would have spent out efforts on entertaining ourselves, instead of trying to stave off the end of civilization.

Between population growth, and the unquenchable thirst for profit of the big multi-national corporations, the countdown to our destruction may have passed the point of no return.

Answer 2

This is actually a very interesting question, and thanks to PtolemyJo's input, the question has been expanded beyond the relatively tiny realm of the global warming arguments.

Let's not forget one other major factor: we are de-evolving ourselves. While we now are able to see 'super humans' in athletics, as a species we are making ourselves weaker through medicine, and a desire to extend life beyond what our bodies were designed for. Children who would have died at birth, are now maintained as long as necessary, and then they grow up to pass along their genetic material – often to others who have a [serious] defect. Ironically, in the midst of this push to extend life, we allow thousands of people to starve to death every day.

To answer your question directly: 100-150 years before the factors at hand get the best of us. Whether our species will survive at all will depend on what happens between now and then. We are, after all, once again taunting the atomic war genie… The addition of radiation would expedite the process, as would accelrated global warming - irrespective of whether the warming is man-made or not.

PS I really am an upbeat fellow, but too old not to be realistic.

Answer 3

We could be gone in 28 minutes from an accidental launch of a nuke from one of the superpowers.

Or the discovery that an earth-crossing asteroid or comet will impact the earth in a matter of months. Few people realize just how many close calls we have had just in the last couple of decades, and how few Earth-crossers have been identified. Geological evidence points to massive bombardments of the Earth about every twelve million years or so. And it has been about eleven to twelve million years since the last major bombardment. It is not only highly probable, but an astronomical surety that someday we will again face this threat (Apophis to hit in 2036). And currently, we have no real plan for dealing with a threat. The last close call we had, we only had days of warning. Not enough time to have dealt with the problem, I assure you.

There is also the threat of emerging viruses, that might wipe out a great majority of mankind. Or a disease which could wipe out our crops or food animals.

There is the threat of ecological disaster that you mention, which the geological record shows happens in cycles of hundreds of thousands of years. We may be plunged into a another Ice Age. or face massive global warming, resulting in seas rising and flooding a large portion of currrently populated land.

And then there is the threat that we bring upon ourselves with nuclear weapons. I don't need to spell out just how close we have come to wiping ourselves out, or in the very least, greatly diminishing our ability to survive.

Answer 4

One thing for sure, as bad as things are getting, if a nuclear ware erupts - humanity will see the process sped up seven fold.

The only hope at that point will be the Second Coming (if you believe in that sort of thing, and I do) and nothing short of that will change mankind's date with complete global genocide.., to make things worse.., it just wont be all at one time, but a painfully slow process.

Answer 5

We have as much time as is needed. If we don't leave this planet and find other sources for life, then we will reduce to the largest sustainable number. We will know that our time is over when one of three things happen:
The ground begins to disintegrate beneath us
We see a large object headed our way
The sun suddenly grows brighter and larger.

Answer 6

Every little helps towards keeping the world going that little bit longer
If everyone had the attitude why bother then the world would fall apart sooner than we think.
What we do now molds the world for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren
Be proud of helping the world you can look your children in the eyes knowing you did all you could.

Answer 7

escalation of war and weaponry for millenia without humans getting a handle on the simple cause

presence of ability to destroy all life 60 times over by blocking out sun with smoke

awareness that injustice is the cause of violence [war and crime] without any sign of doing anything about it

proof that everyone knows the cause of violence is injustice in pay: everyone knows what would happen if a govt took 90% of income off 90% of people and gave it to 1% - decimation of peace and happiness

we have injustice in pay greater than this example, and no sign of any will [sense] to do anything about it

effect: continuing escalation of violence and tension - ie, playing with matches in a gunpowder factory

we cant continue to travel towards nuclear winter without arriving

i give the human race a 99% chance of being extinct in 50 years - unless we decide to get real and deal with fortnightly pay from thousandth to a million times world average pay, 99% paid less than the world average hourly pay, 90% paid less than a 10th of world average hourly pay

99% of people will be better paid with justice, 100% of people will be far better off [no war, no extinction] - every family in the world will get another US$70,000 a year [because the overpaid 1% get US$70 trillion or $70,000 per family per year]

but humans have got a hole in their intelligence when it comes to survival and happiness by committing justice

see my other answers here at yahoo if you at least want to know how humanity could have saved itself if it could have found its justice wits

Answer 8

ok-stop with the "handwringing" already.

our planet has gone through many changes in climate, weather and species of flora and fauna. the planet has consistently shown that it can and does recover from any type of major change.

the things you worry about are not based on true science just "guesswork" based on a limited amount of data and disseminated by scientists who can gain a lot of attention and grant money by making dire predictions.

now quit being scared and go pick up some garbage along a local stream. THAT is something that will HELP- fretting and "caring" does nothing.

Answer 9

You say We. I'd say "we" have until an asteroid comes. We are like cockroaches we will survive all the negative stuff thats going to happen in the next five hundred years before it gets better.

Answer 10

Cool, left-surpassed all human beings is the only ones of their suitable suggestions (the left facet of the suggestions controls the final facet of the physique) regrettably, i'm no longer in my suitable suggestions, so i'm suitable surpassed.