It seems that there are always a few disastrous events that are about to destroy humanity at any given time. Either it’s a comet, some sort of technical failure (like Y2K), some kind of war (like World War III), or some sort of cultural collapse (the end of the United States if you don’t elect *insert any candidate’s name here* as president).
The truth is that in spite of all the fearmongering that goes on in the media and in politics, there are in fact a few legitimately bad things that could happen to us as humans. Now, when we talk about bad things, these aren’t just any bad things. These are the sorts of things that could theoretically make quite a mess. They range all the way from global war to little technical issues that could be quite expensive to fix.
Of course, a few of the things on this list are only meant for a little comic relief, but it should quickly become apparent which ones are which. There really are quite a few things out there that could potentially go wrong. But in all honesty, it’s not worth getting too scared about any of them. Leave that to the politicians. These are 25 disastrous events that are on the verge of happening.
10
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipedia
Because people don’t finish their entire course of antibiotics, bacteria are evolving and developing immunity. It’s only a matter of time before we no longer have the means to cure diseases that were once very curable.
9
Mega-drought
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia
It’s unpredictable what will happen to the American Southwest, but one thing is for sure – it will be drier. A worst case scenario, however, could leave half the country in a mega-drought for the next 100 years.
8
Yellowstone
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia
In case you didn’t know, Yellowstone is actually a huge super-volcano just waiting to melt North America.
7
Year 2038 problem
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipedia
Similar to the Y2K problem, this is the date past which 32-bit systems can no longer count. Although this may or may not affect your life, if you work in IT, this will be a bit of a question mark in the coming years.
6
Cascadia subduction zone
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia
Although everyone knows about the San Andreas fault line and how it is supposed to “unleash the next big one,” there is debate over if this true. The size of the San Andreas limits its potential to create earthquakes. The Cascadia subduction zone though? Located in the Pacific northwest, it has the potential to unleash an earthquake that could destroy the entire western seaboard.
5
West Antarctic ice sheet
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia
Scientists believe that the West Antarctic ice sheet has reached a point of “inevitable collapse.” By itself, it could raise the sea level by 1.2 meters. The only thing they are unsure about is how fast the rise will occur.
4
Saudi Arabia
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia
If you ask any Saudi, they will tell you, “we were once herders, we will be herders again.” Their economy is almost completely dependent on oil and foreign labor. Combine pending economic collapse with growing hard-line Islam, and you have a brutal recipe for disaster. If you think Syria was bad…
3
Lake Taupo
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia
It is New Zealand’s largest lake, and it is also the crater rim of what scientists believe was the largest volcanic eruption on Earth (Oruanui eruption 26,000 years ago). It’s just a matter of time…
2
New Madrid Seismic Zone
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia
This is a seismic zone in the southeastern United States that caused the 1812 New Madrid earthquakes and a bunch of smaller earthquakes since then. According to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, a serious earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone could result in “the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States,” predicting “widespread and catastrophic” damage across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee.
1
Istanbul
Image: pixabay, Source: dailymail
By this point, you may have come to terms with the fact that a lot of these involve earthquakes and volcanoes, and Istanbul is no different. What makes it worse, however, is that it is an extremely populated region with very poor infrastructure. Bad combination.
No comments:
Post a Comment