Reading this reminds me of the Drake Equation that is used to predict how many intelligent lifeforms we share the universe with, one of the elements of the equation is the ‘lifetime’ of a civilisation evolved enough to communicate. Estimates I read varied between 50 and 1,000 years before a civilisation became so advanced that it ultimately destroyed itself or the eco system they relied upon to live. Personally I give us about 500 years before some jumpy radar operator launches a super-bomb in retaliation to a flock of radioactive geese heading his way and wipes out all life on Earth.
I pick “gay marriage occurs.” Volcanoes everywhere explode as a result, Nazis ride dinosaurs, who have come back into existence, and then the world blows up.
22nd Ammendment repealed, George Bush elected Dictator for life
Actually, I guess repeal of the ammendment wouldn’t work, it would require abolishing the Constitution. In any case, I would prefer any other scenario on my list before this one.
I wonder how likely a plague is. Is it even possible for a plague to completely wipe out humanity? Or will there always be some people immune, even if’s a small group?
In my apocalyptic world, the hole in the ozone layer expands to cover, well, everything, and it becomes so unhealthy to be outside that nobody will leave their homes; as a result, the Starbucks coffee chain is driven out of business and the world economy collapses. Without an economy, there are no jobs, so nobody drives to work, and without all those cars running and generating heat, the global temperature plummets and next thing you know, we’re in an ice age, so there’s no food growing, people starve/freeze/die of boredom without a new season of Survivor.
Let’s see… I’m 48, so I can’t say that I can reasonably survive for more than 60 years, and maybe not survive until tomorrow… and when I go, all you figments of my imagination go with me… I’d say less than 60 years.
The people at your door are your friends. They are our friends. Go with them do not resist. You will be kept perfectly safe and fed a nutritious diet along with having healthly aerobic exercise evry day.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience this causes you, but you gotta think of the big picture.
Sociological Apocalypse, aka the “Henhouse Scenario”—The progress of civilization and the spread of modern, “progressive” culture produces a population that’s thoroughly “domesticated,” a paragon of human advancement over bestial nature.
Sadly, such “sivilizing” also results in a coddled, oversocialized community that’s unable to bring itself to defend against any violent throwbacks with a modicum of willpower. (Imagine Genghis Khan in a village full of Eloi.) In the end, it just withers away in it’s pretty ideological purity, while the barbarians reinherit the Earth. Time left…a century or so. Give or take.
On the plus side, civilization will leave some lovely ruins for whatever rises up next.
But, Dennis Quaid skis to New York and saves everybody, we all move to Mexico, Sela Ward is saved and marries me, and a humble Dick Cheney becomes president, so everything is fine.
I concur, except that a collision probably wouldn’t cause it. It’d have to be a massive planet sized object nearly missing the Earth, and moving in a parallel direction, so it would impart some additional velocity to Earth in its solar orbit. It’s hard to see how this could completely pull the Earth away, but it could raise the apohelion of Earth’s orbit, causing a yearly temperature dip.
Actually that strikes me as an interesting scenario, but I can’t creatively write my way out of a paper bag, so that’s a story that won’t be written, at least not by me.
