How much time have we got before we become extinct from the planet?

Question

Global Warming is a danger overlooked by many. If we do not take action now, our lives will be in danger

Answer 1

The reason many people claim global warming isn't really that big a deal is because they have a political agenda. The bottom line is that they don't want to see limitations on development and use of resources. It is blind, almost religious adherence to the conservative/ corporate/ industrial/ capitalist mindset. But if we don't take some drastic measures on our production of CO2, the evidence is overwhelming that we are propelling the earth into a phase which could well trip the balance, upset the thermal equilibrium of the atmosphere, and create a greenhouse effect that will continue to raise the temperature no matter what we do. Eventually it could mean the extinction of most or all life on the planet. Having no cares because it might take 300 years, is exactly the kind of thinking that is the most dangerous. Personally I do not want to subject my progeny to that kind of hell on earth.
This outcome is far more likely and imminent than us getting hit by a killer meteorite, comet, or asteroid unless we do something to prevent the effects of global warming. But we could get hit by something big enough to wipe out major species, including ourselves. This could happen next year or not for a billion years. We'll know somewhat in advance, though, because of our good ability to detect things in space and judge their trajectories.
If we survive all the local effects and our own development, life here will see its end in about 4 or 5 billion years as the sun expands into a red giant. I would expect that humankind as we know it would have evolved a lot by then. We could see it sooner if we collide with the Andromeda galaxy in a few hundred million years, as expected. This will be a relatively slow process where each generation will see little change, but the earth could be pulled away from the sun, or worse, as our galaxy of about 100 billion stars flies though another one like it at enormous speed.

Answer 2

Probably so but it depends on how far the planet is and how far we are in terms of technology. If we are dimwits and haven't made any progress in advancing in technology, we are DOOMED. when the sun becomes a red giant, the earth will either get swallowed up or will barely escape. However, all life will perish. So, if we can find planet with a considerable atmosphere, gravity, pressure, and the distance between it and the parent star, and we can travel at high speed, we can make it. Einstein's theory of relativity suggests that the faster we travel, slower the time will pass. For example, if we travel at high speeds, it might be 1 year for the person travelling at high speeds, but it might be 10 years to other people. So, like i said, it depends on how far the planet is and how far we are in terms of technology.

Answer 3

It's not only the global warming that can cause the extinction of human, there are more like the bombardment of asteroid or comet against the Earth, that will cause extinction of human became faster. But for global warming, it's up to we human whether we want to keep our environment clean or we will cause our own extinction.

Answer 4

That's something of a misconception.

Humans are like dandelions; we are just too tough, aggressive, and adaptable, to be easily eradicated.

In the end, some people may die because of global warming, life may become more difficult for most of us, but we will keep on living, like we always have. we survived the last Ice age, and we'll probably survive the next Jurassic period.

A much greater threat to our survival and wellbeing, is the *breakdown of modern civilization*, due to shortages of food, water, energy, natural resources, and also due to short sighted greed, wastefulness, apathy, intolerance, complacency, selfishness, or religious idealism.

Another possibility, is that a new, genetically distinct species will develop from humans (call it "Homo superior" if you like...) This new species will be similar, but they will be even tougher, healthier, more intelligent, more prolific, and/or even more aggressive than we are; (or they may simply be better at cooperating.)

At some point, we may simply be unable to compete and gradually disappear, we may get bred out of the evolutionary line, or the "new humans" may decide that they don't like the "old humans" any more, and exterminate us. (What happened to the Neanderthals?)

Mind you, this scenario is not likely in the *near* future, since for some reason, humans are one of the *least* genetically diverse species on the planet. (I can just imagine one penguin saying to another: "Humans........some of them are bigger than others.....they all pretty much look the same.....They're all noisy and smell like gasoline.....")

~W.O.M.B.A.T.

Answer 5

round about 100 years, because of global warming

Answer 6

50-100 years may be a little more
its ok we wont b here

Answer 7

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3313/01.html

When 2036 comes, we're screwed.

Global warming isnt really as effective as people think, sorry Al Gore.

Answer 8

300 years and I am not going to worry.

Answer 9

alien hamsters will invade and conquer earth in 2011...we have till then.

Answer 10

ah, my friend, surely the question is when DID we become extinct.