The End is Nigh: The research team plugged various factors into the HANDY model, including information we know from previous civilization collapses and the risk factors that led to them. The model looked at details about population, climate, water, agriculture, and energy of those historical civilizations and compared it to ours. The scientists and mathematicians determined that collapse occurs mostly due to two social reasons: one reason is the overuse of limited resources, and the second involves the gap between two socioeconomic groups: the elites (rich) and the commoners (poor). When looking at our current situation and civilization and considering a variety of scenarios, the study’s results are somewhat frightening: we are currently headed for a collapse that is difficult to avoid. Basically, the rich people use up too much of the resources and the poor fall first, followed by the rich. Yes, in the end, we’re all doomed. It’s not even likely that technology, which is growing at an exponential rate, can save us. According to the study, technology can increase how efficiently we use our resources, but it also means that we end up using more of those resources in return. It’s a lose-lose situation. Granted, the study’s predictions come from worst-case scenarios, but even if we are headed for collapse, we can potentially slow or even stop it: we need a better distribution of wealth and resources, and we need to stop depending so much on our limited resources.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:05:39 +0000
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