Although people have theorized for centuries about the end of the world, we’ve thankfully gotten through every potential termination so far.
There is no sense in over-preparation and panic, but there are many ways that the Earth could cease to exist. Here are several potential ways that our doomsday could soon happen.
Climate Change
Climate change is at the forefront of current world disasters. The accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere could cause irreversible climate change, leading to rising temperatures, extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and ecological disruptions. We have already been seeing some of these impacts on the Earth.
There are certain tipping points of climate change that would lead to abrupt and substantial shifts in our climate system. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—part of the United Nations—regularly highlights the risks associated with exceeding certain climate change thresholds. The disruption of ocean circulation patterns and the melting of polar ice caps are two of these such tipping points.
Pandemic or Epidemic
Humans of the 21st century are all too familiar with worldwide pandemics. COVID-19 has taught the world a lesson about pandemics and their risks to society. Pandemics strain healthcare systems, require widespread public health interventions by officials, and completely disrupt life.
The outbreak of another highly contagious and deadly disease could potentially lead to another even deadlier global pandemic. Pandemics and epidemics can have extreme impacts on the world—widespread illness, death, economic disruptions, and perhaps, complete societal chaos and collapse.
Nuclear War
The explosion of a singular nuclear weapon could release an unfathomable amount of energy, resulting in blast effects, thermal radiation, and radioactive fallout. Nuclear war would result in devastating global consequences: the loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, nuclear winter, and long-term radiation effects.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, arms control international agreements, and other international treaties attempt to prevent the further creation of nuclear weapons and reduce any existing arsenals.
Biodiversity Loss
Habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and other factors lead to the loss of species. Biodiversity loss can destabilize ecosystems. A lack of biodiversity can lead to effects on the food chain, ecosystem services, and human well-being.
Preserving biodiversity is crucial. The maintenance of ecosystems, sustainable resource use, and securing the future for both nature and humanity must become worldwide priorities.
Resource Depletion
Many of Earth’s resources are finite. Between fossil fuels, minerals, freshwater, and certain special ecosystems are limited in quantity. The population of the Earth and industrial industries continue to grow, and there is concern that the extraction and consumption of resources may be faster than their replenishment rates.
Additionally, the lack of necessary resources could lead to economic collapse, geopolitical conflicts, and social unrest. Societies and communities that rely on resource extraction for their economy may face economic and social challenges when resources become in short supply.
Solar Flare
A solar flare is an intense and sudden burst of energy from the sun’s surface. Solar flares launch an enormous amount of energy—which includes electromagnetic radiation, charged particles, and plasma.
Modern Earth is run by electrical grids, sensitive electronic systems, and satellite communications. Intense solar flares from the sun can disrupt these necessary systems. The widespread power outages and the disruption of society could result in chaos.
Supernova Explosion
When a supernova explodes, there is a sudden release of a massive amount of energy. This explosion results in a blinding burst of light and the ejection of the star’s material into space.
It would be unlikely for a supernova’s explosion to directly destroy our planet, but its impacts could. The increased radiation from a nearby explosion might affect Earth’s atmosphere. The consequences might also include ionizing radiation, penetrating cosmic rays, and mass extinctions.
Geoengineering Disaster
Geoengineering is an idea that scientists could deliberately control and mitigate the effects of climate change by creating large-scale climate interventions. If an attempt to geoengineer went wrong, it could have disastrous consequences.
Geoengineering gone wrong could result in disruptive weather patterns and the altering of ecosystems. These climate and weather disasters could cause irreparable damage to the environment.
Planetary Collision
Collisions between the Earth and another celestial body—like a planet, moon, asteroid, or comet—would be disastrous. Although these space objects usually move in specific orbits, gravitational interactions and disturbances can occasionally cause orbits to be altered.
The altering of orbits can cause collisions between planets, moons, comets, and other celestial bodies. Our moon is actually thought to have formed because a Mars-sized object collided with the early Earth.
Cosmic Apocalypse
Some astronomers theorize that a “cosmic apocalypse” is inevitable due to the way that the universe is made.
There are few notable hypotheses. The Big Crunch is one theory where the universe reverses its expansion and starts contracting, sort of like an opposite Big Bang. Another theory is the Big Rip, where the universe expands forever in an unstable way that ends up tearing matter itself apart.
Genetic Engineering Accident
Genetic engineering is the manipulation of genetic material in organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms. Advancement in genetic engineering raises ethical and safety concerns.
Genetic instability or side-effects of the engineering would be unintended consequences that could affect the health and well-being of organisms. Additionally, the release of genetically modified organisms into nature could have unpredictable impacts on ecosystems and even human health.
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Widespread infections and high mortality rates could be the result of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The spread of infectious diseases that are difficult to treat would cause significant global health concerns. These concerns would turn into challenges for public health and healthcare systems.
If bacteria were to evolve to be antibiotic-resistant, the treatment of infectious diseases, pneumonia, and bacterial infections, as well as surgical procedures, would be extremely dangerous. Without effective antibiotics, medical procedures like surgeries, organ transplantation, and cancer treatments, would become very risky.
Particle Accelerator Calamity
Particle accelerators are high-powered scientific instruments that are used to study the properties of matter and the universe. They can mimic conditions of the early universe and generate extremely high energies.
Concerns about particle accelerators have been largely debunked, but some are concerned about their operation. Some scientists worry that they could create microscopic black holes or other devastating phenomena.
Catastrophic Astronomical Event
There are a number of intense astronomical events that could impact the Earth and wreak havoc. Rogue black holes, gamma-ray bursts, or cosmic rays could have disastrous effects on our planet.
These events could cause the destruction of our ozone layer and disruptions to Earth’s atmosphere. Comet or asteroid impacts (which have occurred in the past), could cause drastic climate change, mass extinctions, and widespread destruction. Who knows, one day we could be taken out just like the dinosaurs!
