Survival of our species/Intro

There really couldn't be anything more important to us than the survival of our own species (although not at the expense of others). It is ourselves and all future generations. Currently we have all our eggs in one basket. We live on one planet and there are various threats, both man-made and natural, that could destroy our current civilisation and even wipe us out entirely. To put it bluntly we are extremely vulnerable. Asteroids, virulent disease, global war with advanced weapons. All are possible and we must protect ourselves.

We've come a long way and gained a lot of culture and knowledge — it would be a shame to lose it at a time when we have the technology to do something about it. It's also about not messing things up for future generations - it is not just about surviving but having good prospects, opportunities and a rich environment to live in. Far more likely than total annihilation of our species is the possibility of being knocked back to a pre-industrial civilisation.