# What's the most pressing problem facing humanity that humanity did not create or make worse? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2022, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069 "2022-01-02T05:19:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/1 "2022-01-02T05:19:40Z")
Whether deliberately or otherwise. I had trouble thinking of one, but that just may be my lack of imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/2 "2022-01-02T05:27:29Z")
Asteroid strikes…and the sun vaporizing the planet in five billion years. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/3 "2022-01-02T14:59:53Z")
I was going to say asteroid strike, but @Elmer_J.Fudd got it in one, Speaking of the sun though, one thing of concern that could happen at any time is a [coronal mass ejection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection). One that took place in 1859 called the ‘Carrington Event’ took out part of the telegraph network. If one of a similar size happened today it wouldn’t be directly dangerous to people, but could wipe out our sensitive electronic telecommunications systems, causing chaos for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/4 "2022-01-02T15:05:22Z")
Cancer? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/5 "2022-01-02T15:09:51Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Cancer? We’re collectively a major contributor to causes of cancer. Not all of them, but many of them. Especially lung cancer. * * * **Asteroid Strikes** are a good example. This we can try to prepare for. **Super Volcanos** like the potential Yellowstone one wouldn’t be caused by us and will do a huge amount of damage. Not sure what we could do though to minimize the chaos and destruction. **Major Earthquakes** in general. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/6 "2022-01-02T15:11:38Z")
Asteroid strikes, solar flares, gamma ray bursts, black holes . . . the universe has a lot of stuff that could conceivably wipe us out. Humans may or may not have made Covid worse, but as far as I know, Ebola is an all-natural menace. There are lots of diseases that could be problematic, and most of them probably have not even been discovered yet. There are several super-volcanoes that could do massive damage. The one under Yellowstone is overdue for an eruption. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/7 "2022-01-02T15:20:47Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Humans may or may not have made Covid worse, but as far as I know, Ebola is an all-natural menace. There are lots of diseases that could be problematic, and most of them probably have not even been discovered yet. I think we have made all contagious diseases worse by putting ourselves in metal tubes that can transport us anywhere in the world in less than 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/8 "2022-01-02T15:34:29Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Asteroid strikes…and the sun vaporizing the planet in five billion years. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I think we have made all contagious diseases worse by putting ourselves in metal tubes that can transport us anywhere in the world in less than 24 hours. Obviously things are rarely cut and dried and this is no exception, but if Ebola doesn’t count at least a little, then by the same argument, we’ve reduced our resilience to asteroid strikes by using up so much of our natural resources. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/9 "2022-01-02T15:39:31Z")
Solar Flares yes…specifically, a Coronal Mass Ejection blasting the Earth. Similar to the kind that caused the Carrington Event. If one such were to happen today, would wreck a lot of our electrical / electronic infrastructure, causing quite a mess to critical systems society relies on. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/10 "2022-01-02T15:46:07Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Obviously things are rarely cut and dried and this is no exception, but if Ebola doesn’t count at least a little, then by the same argument, we’ve reduced our resilience to asteroid strikes by using up so much of our natural resources. I don’t follow. How is exhausting our natural resources reducing our chances of surviving an asteroid strike? ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/11 "2022-01-02T16:25:43Z")
> What’s the most pressing problem facing humanity that humanity did not create or make worse? I think the “make worse” criteria makes this question difficult to answer. Most of the mid-term severe major issues facing humanity, such as overpopulation, environmental degradation, global warming, antibiotic resistance and conflicts between nations are solely problems human society has created. After that, there are several potentially catastrophic threats to large portions of the global population such as pandemics, crop diseases, or disablement of communications from a solar event that aren’t humanity initiated, but are catastrophic because of how modern global society has developed. The level of devastation of such threats is more likely because of globalisation, but the global societal benefits that would be affected are also based on the global distribution of technological advances. Which pretty much leaves catastrophic events that humanity can’t shield itself from, and that don’t matter whether we’re a population of 7.9 billion or 7.9 million. Things such as a dinosaur killing asteroid, an in-cone massive solar eruption, or a super-volcanic event. Of these, I’d guess that a super-volcano is the most likely. Not that we can do much about it if Yellowstone does decide to blow in the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/12 "2022-01-03T16:44:44Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > a Coronal Mass Ejection blasting the Earth. Similar to the kind that caused the Carrington Event. If one such were to happen today, would wreck a lot of our electrical / electronic infrastructure, causing quite a mess to critical systems society relies on. Is there anything that can be done to mitigate this? I’m not being facetious or hyperbolic here; like, can we cover the most sensitive apparati with Faraday Cages or something? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/13 "2022-01-03T18:04:00Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > We’re collectively a major contributor to causes of cancer. Specifically, [Bruce McCulloch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ7uXqRWx84). ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/14 "2022-01-03T18:10:53Z")
Shielding of critical components may already be in place. But you can’t shield everything, too expensive. Shielding your own stuff is fine but kinda useless if the rest of the nation’s infrastructure is in shambles. There is, IIRC, some kind of “sentinel” satellite out there that could give us a few minutes’ warning a blast is coming our way. CME’s are fast but not speed-of-light fast. Thus, properly warned, maybe some systems can be moved into a protected mode. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/15 "2022-01-03T18:17:14Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Speaking of the sun though, one thing of concern that could happen at any time is a [coronal mass ejection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection). One that took place in 1859 called the ‘Carrington Event’ took out part of the telegraph network. If one of a similar size happened today it wouldn’t be directly dangerous to people, but could wipe out our sensitive electronic telecommunications systems, causing chaos for a long time. Of course, we’ve made this worse - because we build a civilization that depends on electronic equipment. A coronal mass ejection in 1500 would have caused nothing more than “look at that wild aurora!” - while today it’s a potential disaster. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > **Major Earthquakes** in general. This may count as a “we made it worse” too - an earthquake is scary if you live in the open plains of Africa, but it’s not going to cause mass death unless you and a few thousand or million other people decide to live in large collapsible buildings with underground natural gas pipes around. Asteroid/comet strike still sounds good for a problem we’re innocent of. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/16 "2022-01-03T21:20:45Z")
Mankind has created or aided some of every type of natural disaster (earthquakes, landslides, floods, tornadoes, etc) except hurricanes. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity-that-humanity-did-not-create-or-make-worse/957069/17 "2022-01-03T21:26:44Z")
And, researchers believe that even hurricanes may be having a bigger impact due to climate change, now and in the future: - Higher sea levels may lead to more intense inundation of land areas from hurricanes - Warmer oceans may also lead to more frequent and more intense hurricanes > **[Global Warming and Hurricanes – Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory](https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/global-warming-and-hurricanes/)** > > Contents Summary Statement Global Warming and Atlantic Hurricanes Statistical relationships between SSTs and hurricanes Analysis of century-scale Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane frequency Analysis of other observed Atlantic hurricane metrics...