People have been prophesying Doomsday for centuries. Many a religion has an apocalypse and/or Judgment Day at some unknown future date as part of its belief system. Priests and prophets claim to have had visions or insights that predict just when that bad moon will rise. So far, though, none of these predictions have come true. Earth goes on its merry way, not caring what sort of doom and gloom people preach.
In the secular and scientific field, researchers and deep thinkers have come up with many ways everything could go to doo-doo without the intervention of any deities. All you need is humanity’s aggression, violence, greed and short-sightedness. Some of you reading this remember the nightmare of the Cold War, when the threat of thermonuclear holocaust hung over everybody’s head like the Sword of Damocles, when students ducked and covered under their desks, when TV specials like The Day After and Threads forced regular citizens and world leaders alike to think about the horrid consequences. Today, though nuclear war no longer seems to loom over us nearly as much as it once did, other threats are poised to wipe out civilization as we know it, if not all of humanity.
In 1947 the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock as a symbol of just how close we are to annihilation – not just from nuclear weapons, but from existential perils that include climate change, bioterrorism and artificial intelligence. How far the minute hand is from midnight indicates how close they feel humanity is to global catastrophe. The farthest it has been from midnight is 17 minutes in 1991, thanks to the fall of the Soviet Union and hopes of better relations between the United States and Russia. As I write this, the clock is at 100 seconds from midnight – the closest it has ever been – largely due to lack of action to deal with climate change. Granted, this is strictly subjective, and not necessarily an indication that we are all doomed; however, as the consensus of numerous scientists, it is not something to ignore.
Article after article from respected scientists indicate that we are barreling towards catastrophe. Rather than heed common sense and scientific pundits, many governments kowtow to Big Business, whose only concern is the Bottom Line and are not interested in heeding persnickety regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Individuals – as well as some governments, notably that of Costa Rica – are taking steps to reduce humanity’s contribution to climate change; unfortunately, big corporations are the primary contributors. And, of course, they aren’t suffering for it.
Climate change will have multiple consequences, some of which we are facing now: rising ocean levels, changing weather patterns, droughts, crop failures, famines, stronger and more frequent storms, refugee migrations, emergent diseases, wars over scarce resources. People fleeing violence, chaos, hunger and calamity could easily spread viruses and inadvertently start new pandemics. You thought COVID-19 was bad? The next one could be worse – more contagious as well as deadlier. Also, we could face multiple pandemics at the same time.
This is why we must not lose heart, why we must keep on leaning on our various governments to make businesses reduce their carbon footprints. Especially in the United States, this will be a tough challenge, which is why US residents must get out the Progressive/Green/Liberal vote in 2022 and elect candidates who will heed the will of the people instead of the filthy lucre of mega-corporations. Voter suppression is bad for the environment when those who support the Green New Deal and Build Back Better can’t cast ballots for candidates who will fight for those programs.
Also, while we hope and fight for the best, we must prepare for the worst. We all need to make plans for the worst case scenario, in case our present civilization collapses, either a “head for the hills” strategy or “shelter in place.” We also need to preserve our current society’s collective knowledge and culture so future generations don’t have to start from scratch – and can enjoy our best achievements in the various arts.
Humans are tough, resourceful critters. Some of us will pull through the crises that will confront us over the next few decades. The ones who do survive will not necessarily be the best prepared, but probably the most resourceful and flexible.
