Thread: Stephen Hawking: We Must Leave Earth

^yep: I prefer optimism to handwringing negativity...

Originally Posted by tomcat

.unzipping now...I've heard the rumors...

Perhaps I should change my signature?
Not sure if I should cover you in red or green goo?

NZdick...Hawking's time frame is 200-500 years...Try to imagine what the quantum leaps in science will be in that span...

Wasn't much more than 500 years ago that The New World was being discovered...

Seems that Hawking has already altered his thinking in some of his previous "predictions," if I'm not mistaken...Things are happening much more quickly than he estimated...

I wonder if they can float 7Elevens and McDonalds restaurants in outer space.

Most of the western population would starve if they could not get their daily fix!

Originally Posted by pickel

The meek shall inherit the Earth.

Yeah but it'll be totally fucked by then and the genetically superior and AI enhanced elite will have already departed.

^
I should have used a sarcasm smiley, because that was my point as well.

Originally Posted by pickel

^
I should have used a sarcasm smiley, because that was my point as well.

That's ok... I've known you long enough to get where you're coming from, I knew there was a fair dollop of sarcasm in there

I can't leave Earth; all my stuff is here.

Originally Posted by pickel

The meek shall inherit the Earth.

The strong will go elsewhere.

Originally Posted by tomcat

Trump and cronies represent a last gasp of the self-indulgent ignorant:

You may be right, but then maybe not. There is a real chance he is only a symptom of a bigger problem. That too many of us are willing and perfectly able to deny reality. This is something we can not escape on earth because even if we totally fuck up and destroy technology we can survive as a species.

For sure most would die with medicine and modern agriculture gone but a few hundred million can survive in a new Dark Age. This is IMO the largest thread and we can fight it by going out to where intelligent and rational behaviour are necessary for suvival.

Originally Posted by chassamui

...In the third world, Bangladesh and parts of India are successfully educating women, especially in contraception and family planning. Guess what? It's working...

Adapted from various sources, which could result in severe injury to some TD keyboards: The Sumerians developed the world’s first civilisation some 5,500-6,000 years ago. From then the world population reached 1 billion in the early 1800s, and doubled to two billion in 1927, just over a hundred years. Then it rose 50% to 3 billion 33 years later, in 1960. Fourteen years later, 1974, it increased 33% to four billion, and thirteen years later it hit five billion, in 1987. Fast forward 12 years to 1999 for six billion, eleven years to seven billion in 2010, and 7 years later, 2017, it was at 7.5 billion. This means the current population is increasing (births over deaths) at around 230,000 each day, a momentum that simply cannot be sustained.

We could settle on a year or even ten either way, but most would agree this is a trend with no indication it may be a mere bubble that will pop itself if ignored long enough.

While the narrative says contraception in the Third World does make a difference, but so do wars and acts of god that remove not just people but also their potential to reproduce, and so does peeing in the sea.

Good post Jabir.

We also seem to forget that most of what we have achieved economically is linked to this massive population explosion, it's simply not sustainable and there has to be serious change of we are to survive in any form.

Anyway...if there's a space on a flight into the great unknown can we have a whip round and buy Fluke a seat...

The poor chap seems to be sliding into some sort of Septic-influenced entropy. Degenerative diseases are terrible but in one so brilliant it is particularly poignant.
The world is an insignificant speck in the outer reaches of a spiral galaxy in a universe where there are 100 billion galaxies each with 100 billion stars, and that is just the observable universe and not necessarily the one in which billions of galaxies may well be travelling away from us at a speed greater than that of light.

Against this background of incalculable vastness infinitely beyond the reach of our comprehension, who gives a flying fuck about a species of higher form of primates, other animals and what happens in a few fucking centuries.

So our world and humanity becomes extinct together with all other living things. Who cares if you're fucking dead? What does it fucking matter? It's all just matter, dark and otherwise, and nothingness.

In short, its fucking Wales.

You fucking hypocrite, you can't cope with a few hundred thousand fucking Poles without wetting your racist knickers, and yet here you are pontificating on the future of the world's population like some perverted Malthusian twat wittering on about the significance of wingmen.

In short, its fucking Wales.

Or Swindon....

Originally Posted by chassamui

The major point is the education of women, especially those who are potentially reproductive. All round education, not just birth control, although that is a key factor.

What makes you think that in many male dominated cultures women will be given that opportunity? Sorry I am not that optimistic. The only thing that will stop population growth will be widespread famine.

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

NZdick...Hawking's time frame is 200-500 years...Try to imagine what the quantum leaps in science will be in that span...

I don't doubt that... we just need to develop a totally different form of propulsion, as we will never get past our own solar system using conventional combustion technology.

NASA Builds Design For The First Faster Than Light Speed Spacecraft

Arjun WaliaJune 21, 2014






A few weeks ago, scientists from the SETI Institute (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) told the United States Congress that extraterrestrial life most certainly exists. Now, we might not be too far from seeing it for ourselves.
A NASA scientist and well known graphic artist have come together to design a vessel that (one day) could be used to allow us to travel throughout the universe and beyond in a light speed warp drive spacecraft. (source)
The Science & How It’s Possible To Travel At Light Speed

Scientists have found and identified many Earth like planets, the next step is building a craft that is capable of travelling faster than the speed of light so we can go take a look. One of the biggest arguments against extraterrestrial visitation today is the fact that light speed travel is not possible. This isn’t only untrue, but there are multiple ways a craft could travel throughout the universe in short periods of time. There are shortcuts through space, wormholes, bending space, the Alcubierre Drive and more.
“There’s another way whether it’s wormholes or warping space, there’s got to be a way to generate energy so that you can pull it out of the vacuum. The fact that they are here (extraterrestrials) shows us that they found a way.” – Jack Kasher, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Nebraska.

Believe it or not, NASA is already working on the first tactical field test toward the possibility of faster than light travel. One solution they are thinking about would be to place a craft within a space that is moving faster than the speed of light. Therefore the craft itself does not have to travel at the speed of light from its own type of propulsion system.

Just think of a flat escalator in an airport. The escalator moves faster than you are walking. In this case, the space encompassing the ship would be moving faster than the ship could fly, keeping all of the matter of the ship together and intact. This is called the Alcubierre Drive.

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

Stephen Hawking Says Earth Is Under Threat and Humans Need to Leave

what a freaking seeking attention nutter, that guy is a complete fraud

Originally Posted by Takeovers

What makes you think that in many male dominated cultures women will be given that opportunity? Sorry I am not that optimistic. The only thing that will stop population growth will be widespread famine.

I am optimistic. Their are powerful and wealthy groups dedicated to the cause, even in backward middle eastern countries.
I agree that famine has some potential for population reduction, but usually only in areas which already have a high child mortality rate. Perhaps there will be some side effects of severe weather events, that so far have not been calculated?

Originally Posted by chassamui

Originally Posted by jabir

While the narrative says contraception in the Third World does make a difference, but so do wars and acts of god that remove not just people but also their potential to reproduce, and so does peeing in the sea.

The major point is the education of women, especially those who are potentially reproductive. All round education, not just birth control, although that is a key factor. The population will eventually reach a peak, beyond which resources can no longer sustain it. Women who are educated will be able to resolve many more issues than men ever could. See the Asylum Seekers post above for proof of this.
That is my prediction.
The future will need to be much more egalitarian. Running away into space is possible, but probably not the most effective solution.

The world of the future will be dominated by Amazons with massive tits, who use anal sex as prophylaxis.

You're forgetting to factor in this one:

By 2100, Deadly Heat May Threaten Majority of Humankind


Up to 75 percent of people could face deadly heatwaves by 2100 unless carbon emissions plummet, a new study warns.



In this June 4, 2017, photograph, Pakistani people bathe in a canal to beat the heat and get some relief from the extremely hot weather during the eighth day of Ramadan. Maximum temperatures of 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius) have been recorded in Lahore, Pakistan.
Photograph by Rana Sajid Hussain, Pacific Press, Lightrocket, Getty Images
In this photograph from August 9, 2010, people rest on the Manezhaya Square just outside the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. In 2010, the Russian capital became engulfed by poisonous smog from wildfires and a sweltering heat wave that killed some 55,000 people across western Russia.
Photograph by Ivan Sekretarev, Assoiated Press

By Stephen Leahy

PUBLISHED June 19, 2017

A new study has found that 30 percent of the world’s population is currently exposed to potentially deadly heat for 20 days per year or more—and like a growing forest fire, climate change is spreading this extreme heat.

Without major reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2, up to three in four people will face the threat of dying from heat by 2100. However, even with reductions, one in two people at the end of the century will likely face at least 20 days when extreme heat can kill, according to the analysis, published on Monday in Nature Climate Change.




“Lethal heatwaves are very common. I don’t know why we as a society are not more concerned about the dangers,” says Camilo Mora of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the study’s lead author. “The 2003 European heatwave killed approximately 70,000 people—that’s more than 20 times the number of people who died in the September 11 attacks.”

Dangerous heatwaves are far more common than anyone realized, killing people in more than 60 different parts of the world every year. Notable deadly heatwaves include the 2010 Moscow event that killed at least 10,000 people and the 1995 Chicago heatwave, where 700 people died of heat-related causes.

Heatwaves have also claimed victims more recently. In the last two weeks, dozens have died in India and Pakistan’s current heatwave, with temperatures spiking to a record 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.5 degrees Celsius). And there have been heat-related deaths already in the U.S. this summer.

Counting Victims

Mora and an international group of researchers and students examined more than 30,000 relevant publications to find data on 1,949 case studies of cities or regions where human deaths were associated with high temperatures. Lethal heatwaves have been documented in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, London, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, and São Paulo.










View Images


Lightning StrikesA supercell thunderstorm strikes in South Dakota. Among the most severe storms, supercells can bring strong winds, hail, and even tornadoes.
Photograph by Jim Reed, National Geographic
Winter WonderlandA gondola carries skiers to the top of Lincoln Peak in Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont. This icy scene ran in a 1967 issue of National Geographic.
Photograph by B. Anthony Stewart, National Geographic Creative
A Hard RainA man rides through four inches of rain in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, in this photo from a 1969 issue of National Geographic.
Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic
Wind First, Then RainWomen shield themselves against strong winds that precede the monsoon in Rajasthan, India, in this 1984 National Geographic photo.
Photograph by Steve McCurry, National Geographic Creative
Purple RainLightning strikes the Sand Hills of Ogallala, Nebraska, in 1990.
Photograph by Jim Richardson, National Geographic Creative
Waiting for the StormFarmers watch growing storm clouds in the Sand Hills of Ogallala, Nebraska, in 2003.
Photograph by Jim Richardson, National Geographic Creative
An Encroaching StormRain clouds roll over a caramel-colored river in Wyndham, Australia.
Photograph by Randy Olson, National Geographic Creative
No ExitHurricane Dennis whipped Key West, Florida, with winds up to 90 miles an hour in 2005.
Photograph by Mike Theiss, National Geographic Creative
After the StormThis photo from a 2006 issue of National Geographic shows Hurricane Rita’s destruction in Holly Beach, Louisiana. The vacation spot was completely leveled by the storm.
Photograph by David Burnett, National Geographic Creative
Pouring RainA rainstorm drenches the streets of Dharavi, India, in 2006.
Photograph by Jonas Bendiksen, National Geographic Creative
Afternoon StormA thunderstorm pelts the Flint Hills in Strong City, Kansas.
Photograph by Jim Richardson, National Geographic Creative
A Spring SnowfallYaks graze during a spring snowstorm along the Yalong River in China.
Photograph by Michael Yamashita, National Geographic Creative
WhiteoutSledders climb a hill during a snowstorm in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Photograph by John Burnett, National Geographic

Those facing the greatest risk live in the wet tropics, where only slight increases in average temperatures or humidity can result in deaths. However, heat can be deadly even at moderate temperatures of less than 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) if it’s combined with very high humidity, Mora ays.

Heat kills ten times more people in the U.S. than tornados or other extreme weather events, says Richard Keller, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of medical history. (Read experts' safety tips on surviving heat waves.)

Extreme heat sneaks up on us because we expect it to be hot in the summer, says Keller, who has written a book on the 2003 European heat wave.

The human body’s internal temperature likes to be between 98.6 to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 38 degrees Celsius); any warmer, and it’s a fever. As temperatures rise, the body reacts by sweating to try and cool down.

If our internal temperature gets close to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), all-important cellular machinery start to break down. Body temperatures above 104 degrees are extremely dangerous and require immediate medical attention.

If the heat index—a metric that combines temperature and humidity—reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), our bodies begin to slowly heat up to the ambient temperature unless we take action to cool down. (Learn 100 practical ways to reverse climate change.)



View Images
In this photograph from August 9, 2010, people rest on the Manezhaya Square just outside the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. In 2010, the Russian capital became engulfed by poisonous smog from wildfires and a sweltering heat wave that killed some 55,000 people across western Russia.

Photograph by Ivan Sekretarev, Assoiated Press

The young and elderly, who disproportionately lack resources and are more socially isolated, are left the most vulnerable. The overwhelming majority of 15,000 heat-related deaths in France during the 2003 European heatwave were 75 or older, many of whom were living on their own, said Keller.

“Increasing inequality leads to increased deaths from heat extremes,” says Keller.

Heating the Global South


Heat didn’t used to be a huge problem in India, Pakistan, and other parts of the global south, but heat extremes are now more common and more intense with climate change, says Keller. (Read "India's Heat Wave: How Extreme Heat Ravages the Body")

Thousands of people have died in India from the heatwaves in recent years. Another new study published in Science Advances found that the number of heatwaves in India killing more than 100 people increased 2.5 times between 1960 and 2009—an uptick likely due to climate change, says study co-author and University of California, Irvine professor Steven Davis.

Yet India’s mean temperature has only increased 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5 degrees Celsius) in the past 50 years, a mild increase in comparison to other parts of the world.

Surface temperature measurements show that the Earth has warmed 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) since preindustrial times, but this additional heat is not evenly distributed. The Arctic is 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 degrees Celsius) hotter on average, and in November 2016, temperatures were an extraordinary 36 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) higher than normal over most of the Arctic Ocean, an area larger than the continental U.S. (Read "Climate Change Pushing Tropical Diseases Toward Arctic")

Small increases in mean temperatures can have a major impact in tropical countries, especially amongst the poor who are extremely vulnerable, Davis notes.


Global Warming 101 Global warming could do more than just melt polar ice. It could change our maps, and displace people from cities and tropical islands.



“In Chicago people can escape the heat, but that’s not the case for many poor people in India,” he says.

Temperature measurements reveal that summers in 92 percent of U.S. cities have become hotter since 1970. Cities in Texas and the Intermountain West are the most affected, according to data compiled by ClimateCentral. It shows summers in Milwaukee are now 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit (1.34 degrees Celsius) hotter on average, 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 degrees Celsius) hotter in Dallas, and 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit (2.1 degrees Celsius) in Salt Lake City.

“This is what climate change means on the ground,” says Davis. Nor is it surprising there are 60 killer heatwaves a year, he added. Hotter temperatures are driving people to leave their homes and migrate. (Meet America's first official climate refugees.)

“Our attitude towards the environment has been so reckless that we are running out of good choices for the future,” says Mora of the University of Hawaii.

“For heatwaves, our options are now between bad or terrible,” he adds. “Many people around the world are already paying the ultimate price of heatwaves.”

By 2100, Deadly Heat May Threaten Majority of Humankind

That's bound to fock things up a bit...