Doom and Gloom

[ewt]

Wheat stem rust

Colony Collapse Disorder

Energy shortages

Resistant TB

Bird 'flu

War

Climate change

And people wonder why I get so discouraged. This was going to be a link round-up but it got too depressing.

Comments

[pplfichi.livejournal.com]

I'm unconvinced by the we're stuffed arguments. The world might get unpleasant, especially if there is a slow crash but I don't see a hard crash coming (short asteroid/nuclear armageddon/etc scenarios).

I'm optimistic that public awareness of climate change is appears to be going up (I have only my own anecdotal evidence for this), at least in this country. And I don't see the world having a long term energy crisis. Air flight probably will be the most effected (and less accessible) if fuel climb, but I'm sure practical technological solutions can be found for cars, and trains (where the answer isn't electrification). And electricity. At "worst" we can build nuclear power stations. Expensive and a bit dodgy? Yes. Governments may find them more palatable the guaranteed blackouts in x years if nothing is done and renewable methods are insufficient.

Food stuffs have to be sortable over the long term too. It's not as if we don't have grain mountains and milk lakes. It will be less pleasant then it is now, but I'm sure waste will be slowly cut eventually - because we won't have the choice not to but life will go on somehow.

Yes, I'm optimistic about this, very possibly too optimistic. But we haven't managed to wipe ourselves out yet... And I'm nto saying that things won't change and what people do won't have to change. But I don't think the changes will mean death-of-society, but I am uncertain as to how large they will be and aware that because of this and the fact that I simply don't know anywhere near enough about this means I can not have a *proper* opinion, in other words this is probably all crap.

My alternative view should be met with a No! :\