Why be afraid of our future
There are six terrible threats which expect us in the future.
1.The World War III with the usage of nuclear weapon.
2.The pollution that can change the climate.
3.The eruption of a super-volcano.
4.A wide spread of some epidemic like pandemic.
5.Space catastrophes.
6.The problem, which is popular in science fiction books, - our world will come under the influence of some artificial intelligence.
World Nuclear War.
The humanity has already used nuclear weapon. In 1945 The USA dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. About two hundred thousand people died after that bombardment. The consequences of this radiation we can see even now. This experience of the usage of nuclear weapon showed mankind how dangerous it was, but we’re beginning to forget about it. Now there are bombs which are thousand times more powerful. Now there are about five countries that have nuclear weapons.
Any strong conflict between these countries can lead to irreversible consequences. Life on our planet will disappear. And then it won’t be any necessity to dream about our sunny future.
So the prevention of the World War III is the most burning problem of the modern world now. For its solution the whole complex of measures, beginning with the trend to cut down arms race and to decrease the portion for military expenses in budgets of states and to end with the transformation of mass consciousness. For ages war was considered to be an effective way of solving political and economic issues. Now with its probable nuclear nature it’s inadmissible, because only one small bomb can wipe us from the surface of the Earth. And then all the other dreams will be in vain.
Pollution
Exhaust fumes in the air, oil spilled in the oceans, deforestation – all these things are serious problems facing our planet. People in many countries pay money for clean water. Thirty years ago it seemed impossible. Perhaps we’ll have to pay for clean air in the future. The worst of it is that in the near future the ozone layer which protects us from deadly ultra-violet radiation can be collapsed.
Here are only some among lots of other thrilling facts about the pollution:
1. Nearly 10 million tons of oil is being spilt into the ocean annually.
2. Anthropogenic pollution of the atmosphere forms only 0.5% of all the air pollution. All the other air pollution is natural (from volcanic eruptions, desert storms, forest fires etc.). But anthropogenic emissions are the most dangerous ones.
3. Average diameter of aerosol particles is 1-5 micrometer. About a cubic kilometer of airborne particles reaches the planet’s atmosphere yearly.
4. About 25,5 billion tons of carbon oxide, 190 million tons of sulfur oxide, 65 million tons of nitric oxide, 1,4 million tons of chlorofluorocarbon, also called freon, get into the atmosphere annually as a result of human’s activity. Freon is very dangerous for the ozone layer.
5. The consequences of the destruction of the ozone layer can be illustrated with the following examples:
a.One percent of the decrease of the ozone layer will result four percent of the increase of the number of skin cancer cases.
b.Causing skin cancer and its premature aging, ultraviolet radiation at the same time depresses immune system, leading to initiation of infectious, viral, parasitic and other diseases such as measles, chickenpox, malaria, lichen, tuberculosis, leprosy etc.
c.Millions of the planet’s inhabitants will become partly or fully blind because of cataract – a disease, which appears as a result of high solar radiation.
6. In 2005 it was discovered by means of satellite monitoring that the rate of illegal deforestation only in Russia was about 1 million 165 thousand cubic meters. But according to the official information illegal deforestation made up only 169 thousand cubic meters.
Now a lot of money is directed to solve this problem. Environmentally friendly fuel is already invented. Factories are becoming safer and safer for the atmosphere and the ocean. Solar and wind power generators are being built. But the decision of this problem is a long-term program.
Super Volcano Eruption
The world catastrophe, which has never threatened the humanity so seriously before, can break out in any second in pine forests and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park in the USA. Simply imagine if ordinary volcanoes kill thousands of people and destroy hundreds of cities, what will happen if Super volcanoes come to life and erupt and what devastation they will bring to the whole universe.
Here are some disturbing facts about the most powerful super volcano, Yellowstone:
1.The power of its explosion could be compared with the power of 1000 nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima.
2.Tokyo, the biggest city in the world, could be placed in its crater.
3.The eruptions of Yellowstone super volcano occur in 600 000-year period.
4.The latest eruption happened 640 000 years ago.
The latter statement points to the fact that it’s high time for the volcano to awake …
Pandemic
Speaking about epidemic, we unintentionally remember about the Middle Ages. And indeed, for example, about 25 million people (a third of its population) died of plague in the 13th century in Europe. In the 14th – 15th centuries the major part of the population of Russia also died of this disease.
With the development of medicine, it can seem that our humanity overcame the most dangerous diseases (plague, anthrax, cholera, typhus). But there are lots of viral diseases we’re still struggling with. For example AIDS, which is sometimes called the scourge of the 20th century. Everyone can be sick with influenza at least once every two years. A lot of scientists are fighting against this virus, but it mutates very quickly. So, even if the humanity will manage to cope with AIDS, the future will probably give us more terrible epidemics.
Artificial Intelligence
Most of us, we think, have seen such films as “Terminator” and “Matrix”. The main idea of these films is the capturing of the world by machines. Science will become so developed, that scientists will be able to create artificial intelligence. These machines will be cleverer than people, but they will not be able to feel like people.
They will enslave the world and people will fight with them. But it is the invention of science fiction writers and American directors. Modern science is still far from such a great achievements. In the near future robots we’ll be able only to do technical work and will not think like people. But even now we can’t imagine our life without computers. In the 1980s William Gibson’s ideas about the worldwide network seemed to be only a fiction, but now it has come true!
Space Catastrophes
Scientists could solve all of the previous problems we talked about because they are very gifted and knowledgeable. But the next problem we are going to mention is much more dangerous one.
There are a lot of space objects, like black holes, meteorites and comets etc. that can damage or simply destroy our planet. The history of space explorations knows several examples when astronomers wrongly warned about the space catastrophes. The first time when it happened in the USA the information about the catastrophe was given only to the government, there was a panic there, and the state administration even worked out a secret project of building special shelters for selected people, the elite. Fortunately, they were only false alarms. Now, people who often surf the Internet can sometimes see in the news lines messages about meteorites or clots of cosmic dust or something else “that is quickly moving to the Earth and will reach it in a few days and will destroy it”, but they don’t pay any attention to them.
Conclusion
So, what expects us in the nearest future? Incredible cataclysms, the very thought of which makes us feel creepy from head to foot or we’ll be protected by the Lord’s hand?
Let’s hope for the best!
1.The World War III with the usage of nuclear weapon.
2.The pollution that can change the climate.
3.The eruption of a super-volcano.
4.A wide spread of some epidemic like pandemic.
5.Space catastrophes.
6.The problem, which is popular in science fiction books, - our world will come under the influence of some artificial intelligence.
World Nuclear War.
The humanity has already used nuclear weapon. In 1945 The USA dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. About two hundred thousand people died after that bombardment. The consequences of this radiation we can see even now. This experience of the usage of nuclear weapon showed mankind how dangerous it was, but we’re beginning to forget about it. Now there are bombs which are thousand times more powerful. Now there are about five countries that have nuclear weapons.
Any strong conflict between these countries can lead to irreversible consequences. Life on our planet will disappear. And then it won’t be any necessity to dream about our sunny future.
So the prevention of the World War III is the most burning problem of the modern world now. For its solution the whole complex of measures, beginning with the trend to cut down arms race and to decrease the portion for military expenses in budgets of states and to end with the transformation of mass consciousness. For ages war was considered to be an effective way of solving political and economic issues. Now with its probable nuclear nature it’s inadmissible, because only one small bomb can wipe us from the surface of the Earth. And then all the other dreams will be in vain.
Pollution
Exhaust fumes in the air, oil spilled in the oceans, deforestation – all these things are serious problems facing our planet. People in many countries pay money for clean water. Thirty years ago it seemed impossible. Perhaps we’ll have to pay for clean air in the future. The worst of it is that in the near future the ozone layer which protects us from deadly ultra-violet radiation can be collapsed.
Here are only some among lots of other thrilling facts about the pollution:
1. Nearly 10 million tons of oil is being spilt into the ocean annually.
2. Anthropogenic pollution of the atmosphere forms only 0.5% of all the air pollution. All the other air pollution is natural (from volcanic eruptions, desert storms, forest fires etc.). But anthropogenic emissions are the most dangerous ones.
3. Average diameter of aerosol particles is 1-5 micrometer. About a cubic kilometer of airborne particles reaches the planet’s atmosphere yearly.
4. About 25,5 billion tons of carbon oxide, 190 million tons of sulfur oxide, 65 million tons of nitric oxide, 1,4 million tons of chlorofluorocarbon, also called freon, get into the atmosphere annually as a result of human’s activity. Freon is very dangerous for the ozone layer.
5. The consequences of the destruction of the ozone layer can be illustrated with the following examples:
a.One percent of the decrease of the ozone layer will result four percent of the increase of the number of skin cancer cases.
b.Causing skin cancer and its premature aging, ultraviolet radiation at the same time depresses immune system, leading to initiation of infectious, viral, parasitic and other diseases such as measles, chickenpox, malaria, lichen, tuberculosis, leprosy etc.
c.Millions of the planet’s inhabitants will become partly or fully blind because of cataract – a disease, which appears as a result of high solar radiation.
6. In 2005 it was discovered by means of satellite monitoring that the rate of illegal deforestation only in Russia was about 1 million 165 thousand cubic meters. But according to the official information illegal deforestation made up only 169 thousand cubic meters.
Now a lot of money is directed to solve this problem. Environmentally friendly fuel is already invented. Factories are becoming safer and safer for the atmosphere and the ocean. Solar and wind power generators are being built. But the decision of this problem is a long-term program.
Super Volcano Eruption
The world catastrophe, which has never threatened the humanity so seriously before, can break out in any second in pine forests and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park in the USA. Simply imagine if ordinary volcanoes kill thousands of people and destroy hundreds of cities, what will happen if Super volcanoes come to life and erupt and what devastation they will bring to the whole universe.
Here are some disturbing facts about the most powerful super volcano, Yellowstone:
1.The power of its explosion could be compared with the power of 1000 nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima.
2.Tokyo, the biggest city in the world, could be placed in its crater.
3.The eruptions of Yellowstone super volcano occur in 600 000-year period.
4.The latest eruption happened 640 000 years ago.
The latter statement points to the fact that it’s high time for the volcano to awake …
Pandemic
Speaking about epidemic, we unintentionally remember about the Middle Ages. And indeed, for example, about 25 million people (a third of its population) died of plague in the 13th century in Europe. In the 14th – 15th centuries the major part of the population of Russia also died of this disease.
With the development of medicine, it can seem that our humanity overcame the most dangerous diseases (plague, anthrax, cholera, typhus). But there are lots of viral diseases we’re still struggling with. For example AIDS, which is sometimes called the scourge of the 20th century. Everyone can be sick with influenza at least once every two years. A lot of scientists are fighting against this virus, but it mutates very quickly. So, even if the humanity will manage to cope with AIDS, the future will probably give us more terrible epidemics.
Artificial Intelligence
Most of us, we think, have seen such films as “Terminator” and “Matrix”. The main idea of these films is the capturing of the world by machines. Science will become so developed, that scientists will be able to create artificial intelligence. These machines will be cleverer than people, but they will not be able to feel like people.
They will enslave the world and people will fight with them. But it is the invention of science fiction writers and American directors. Modern science is still far from such a great achievements. In the near future robots we’ll be able only to do technical work and will not think like people. But even now we can’t imagine our life without computers. In the 1980s William Gibson’s ideas about the worldwide network seemed to be only a fiction, but now it has come true!
Space Catastrophes
Scientists could solve all of the previous problems we talked about because they are very gifted and knowledgeable. But the next problem we are going to mention is much more dangerous one.
There are a lot of space objects, like black holes, meteorites and comets etc. that can damage or simply destroy our planet. The history of space explorations knows several examples when astronomers wrongly warned about the space catastrophes. The first time when it happened in the USA the information about the catastrophe was given only to the government, there was a panic there, and the state administration even worked out a secret project of building special shelters for selected people, the elite. Fortunately, they were only false alarms. Now, people who often surf the Internet can sometimes see in the news lines messages about meteorites or clots of cosmic dust or something else “that is quickly moving to the Earth and will reach it in a few days and will destroy it”, but they don’t pay any attention to them.
Conclusion
So, what expects us in the nearest future? Incredible cataclysms, the very thought of which makes us feel creepy from head to foot or we’ll be protected by the Lord’s hand?
Let’s hope for the best!
Comments
Post a Comment