Survival of our species/Risks to humanity
From AdCiv
- Strike by asteroid or comet. Possible at any time. Accepted in scientific community as not an 'if' but a 'when'.
- Genetically engineered biological weapon or lab-experiment let loose (accidentally or Possible now.
- Out of control self-replicating molecular nanotechnology (accidental or malicious). Underlying technology is perhaps 15 years away
- Out of control artificial intelligence. Underlying technology is perhaps 20 years away
- Nuclear weapons. Possible now
- Increasingly powerful particle accelerators. Some physicist think we have already created phenomena similar to black holes [1], although theorists believe these pose no risk as they evaporate extremely quickly. Although the very reason people are doing these experiments is because we do not precisely know how nature behaves at these extremely high energies. - possible at any time
- Climate change. It is more likely to affect other species that do not have the means to adapt first. But if it gets to the point where it affects species we rely on for our own survival then we will be at risk. - possible in the near future
Sounds a bit grim reading through the list, but with awareness of the problems these scenarios can be mitigated to a certain extent, and colonising Space becomes the ultimate insurance policy.
