How can the human race survive the next hundred years?

Question

In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?

Additional Details

Yahoo! Answers staff note: This is the real Stephen Hawking. Look here for more detail:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-d8pH0dcoR…

Yahoo! Answers Team Update: We've created a group for you to discuss this important issue in more detail. Find out more at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/humansurvi…

Hear Dr. Stephen Hawking's message to the Yahoo! Answers community here:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=17…

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Political and social chaos has been with us for a very long time. Given the revolutions of the past and present, class warfare, and scheming of those seeking power, the human race has shown a remarkable resilience and managed to survive thus far.

The new factors in the equation of the balance of mankind and the rest of nature are the technological advances that have changed how political and social chaos can develop, and the advances in industry that have the potential to inflict serious environmental alterations. Threats of nuclear war, biological catastrophe, and climate change now bring into question as to how humanity can continue to survive.

Personally, I think that with the growth of true threats to survival, there has been growth of human ingenuity as well. We have yet to release a Frankenstein's monster of technology upon the world. Despite the stockpiles of nuclear weapons, there has been no global warfare. Medical research is in a renaissance of advance. Climate change remains a concern, but I believe that we are an adaptable species, as we have adapted before and will again.

The larger question is how will humanity survive, which is what is asked. It's very likely that the resources of today may no longer be available in a century. But consider the resources available today that were not available a century before. As stated before, we are an adaptable species, and when one window of resources closes, it's likely that other windows will be openable.

Of course, the speed that everything progresses at has increased. Will we be able to adapt in time? Perhaps not for a lot of us, but consider that in the 14th century, the Black Death wiped out over a third of Europe's population. Yet Europe survived and prospered. We may again have a catastophe that has similarly devestating effects, but I feel confident that after the catastrophe, humankind will prosper.

Why do I place this faith in humanity? Because I must. Without the belief that we will continue to grow and overcome the pains of social chaos as we mature as a species, we might as well not have any faith at all. I'm not talking religion (although that may or may not be a part in its current forms), but simply the same belief that we will survive just as much as the sun will rise the next day.

Source(s):

Just what I believe.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

This answer was selected with the help of Yahoo! Answers editors.

Answer 2

Extremely thought provoking question! Your chaos categories are almost too depressing; a drastic collective thought change in all would be required. A slower, simpler time would help, as would eliminating countries and borders and instead thinking global community, one world with all on the same spaceship earth wild ride. I have often thought the world took a wrong detour at the Industrial Revolution, when we lost close contact with nature and paved paradise. I would like to see governments run by scientists and philosophers.

I am putting my faith and hope in those people that are gifted with the intelligence, aided by the power that be, to provide solutions to our sustenance. Please hurry.

Answer 3

Those who are able to adapt will survive.

The next 100 years will likely present daunting challenges. I expect that a great deal of inner strength and flexibility as well as physical attributes will be in order. We will need significant endurance to fail beyond our darkest fears.

I am not convinced that things will remain as they are. It saddens me that I do not believe many people are ready for the challenges that are ahead.

I am afraid that too many Americans have become dependent on luxuries (I know little about the rest of the world). I fear that many do not have what it will take.

I am not sure if the answer for me will be to hide, or lead. Perhaps one then the other. I will collect those who are loyal and resourceful to help and teach the future.

I do not know how we will survive, but I am certain that we will.

Source(s):

Winston Churchill said something to the effect of: Success is our ability to go from failure to failure without losing our enthusiasm.

Answer 4

The question cannot be answered if one disagrees with its very premise.

Answer 5

I'm fairly confident life will continue on this planet but I'm not sure human life will continue. While making great strides, our species fails miserably at true cause and effect. We tend to believe the simple 'pigeon hole' answer instead of really peeling it back to find the root cause. In most cases, we fail to tolerate each other culturally, fail to teach other, fail to learn effectively and ultimately sell out to greed. If we are to survive, significant cultural shifts are needed - an adjustment to our world's values. Perhaps it's time to create and present a worldwide set of values for which we can all subscribe. Perhaps 10 or even five simple values we can all get behind to improve our world and share common understanding. Growing apart is not the answer.

Answer 6

I don't believe it is possible. Economically the world is hellbent upon destroying the middle class, leaving a feudal-style rich/poor system. As it worsens, so will terrorism. Add to this the continuing fuel crises, the wars and their social and economic costs, the destruction of the environment, power grabbing by politicians, it all adds up to annihilation. At least I attempted to lead a positive, giving life. If only those in power would do the same.

Answer 7

don't worry about that, nature is already taking care of our mistakes, at the end we will finally notice that we are just as the other animals , just another race who was riced and must die on a certain time, we are not special as we all think.
Nature will end our circle before we end his.

Eagel Vlast

Answer 8

Learning to stop blowing each other up would be a pretty good start.

Answer 9

There is no way we can guarantee the survival of the human race over the next one hundred years, but there are ways we can better our odds.

First, we should use every rationale we can possibly think of to further the exploration and eventual settlement of first Mars, and later other locations, within our solar system. All travelers to these locales (not just the settlers) will need to be selected for maximum genetic variation; additional genetic material (possibly in the form of fertilized eggs) will need to accompany the first permanent settlements. Exploratory programs to exploit asteroidal and cometary resources should also be pushed --- for who is to say that our future should be limited to planetary surfaces?

Second, we need to accelerate and coordinate research between the biological and information sciences, possibly revising our definition of "human" in the process. Advances in the computing, cognitive, and biological sciences may eventually enable us to "record" and store living personalities, allowing human beings to be 'backed up" the way a computer hard drive might be today, redefining what it means to be "alive" or "dead". As incorporeal patterns of information, humans might even be able to survive the long travel times involved in interstellar flight.

Third, we must do all the obvious things in the short term --- promote peace and understanding between peoples, discourage ideologies, eliminate ignorance, strive for justice for all, and establish greater governmental, institutional, and personal commitment to "shared concerns" such as green urban planning, climate regulation, sustainable development, etc. Without some progress on all of these issues, there may not be enough time for the first two items above.

Answer 10

It wont if we continue in this manner. Mankind in every corner of the globe needs to cease its current way of daily operations. Or nature will do it for us and we will have no choice we will be bystanders in our own lives and we will sit back and watch nature reclaim what is hers and be off with us. By all means this is not a scenario i would like to see folding out but I'm a realist and what is obvious to me is that the combined efforts of all the countries on the planet, some more others less, the past 100 years have caused more damage to the earth than have been caused the past 100.000.000 million years. This is a wake up call for all of us and we need to get up off are butts and smell the coffee or it will be to late and then there will be nothing we can longer do. Our future is our children and we need to concentrate to make it a better place for there tomorrow, before there is no tommorow. During every time and age people sacrifice something or the other and the time to sacrifice is way due, for there will be nothing left in a couple of 100 years, so if we aspire mankind to be around in those times we need to take the neccessary steps NOW. If it means losing some or even most of our comforts so be it. We need to change our habbits we need to have the concences of every country, every corporation, every company and every individual living and breathing in order to be united and together to make our planet a better place for us all. Another option is all out war, this is something that may be linguring around the corner, with todays current world affairs this is a realistic point of view one that i hope will not unfold but perhaps it will and the remifications for all of us will be disaturous.

Answer 11

I feel that the human race could survive the next hundred years better through objective and thorough self-examination, develope and understanding of their talents and limitations. Through self-awareness and will power overcome weaknesses,fears, and limitations. Take charge of the process of change in your life and not let the process take control of you. Be RESPONSIBLE and HONORABLE. Take time for the things that can't be replaced. TIME. Yourself, children, family, and your choices. Remember that it's not what you have or who you are that help us survive. IT'S THE CHOICES WE'LL MAKE!

Answer 12

If some nice aliens will be so kind to take some good, young and healthy people on their ship/s and give them a ride to the next earth size inhabited planet. If not, some frozen fertilized human embryos will do too.

Source(s):

myself

Answer 13

YES, we can! If people in the years hence survived, why can't we? I would think this is the same question that hoovered in people's minds in the early years. There were then more political and social instability..... Let's stay cool!

Answer 14

Truthfully, the human race no matter how smart we may appear lack the discipline or forsight to care about the next generation. We humans are so selfish. It is always about our current days existence with little thought to the long term implications. We repeat history all the time and justify our discretions to benefit ourselves. If we make it 100 years it will not be because of our own doing rather dumb luck. If the environment holds we are our biggest threat. We will always have wars. We will always show prejudice to a race of people & we will always struggle with environmental issues. Because as our technological advances continue the humans that have the capability will use that tech for power and greed. . .a race without that tech will suffer racism...and we only care about the environment after disaster . . .we have changed little since the 20's. Mr. Hawking you and Einstein both know this to be true. It is unfortunate that the humans in power can't figure out how to get us off of this treadmill that were on.

Answer 15

We humans are hard-wired for tribalism (like likes like) territoriality (this land is our land), and belief (ours is the one true religion). These qualities contributed to our early success as a species, but hinder our future survival. We're largely over the first two, but we need to work on the third if we're going to survive.

Regarding our planet, we are just as capable of removing greenhouse gases from our atmosphere as we are in putting them there. All we need to do is put a roomful of people who are half as brainy as you, Stephen, on the project and give them 0.1% of our planet's current global armaments expenditures.

I propose you create the Hawking Expedition - a global survival trek. Go around to our world leaders and raise some money, then put together a team of the best and brightest theoretical, experimental and practical minds to solve our energy and emission problems. Share the results with the world - open source, no royalties - and pull us back from the brink.

Best wishes,
Ricky

Answer 16

it is obvious that it will be DIFFICULT for humans to survive the next 100 years, yet it is not impossible. Firstly, there has to be a MAJOR change in our mentality, coz us humans are too passive and indifferent to what is happening around us: how many of us have ever admonish someone for dumping litter? It is only with a good sense of solidarity and selflessness that we will be able to survive the next 100 years. Yet, if we cannot do this, we will be doomed in less that 100 years.

Answer 17

Well, I am not worried about the next 100 years, I am more worried about the remaining 2 years of the Bush administration. If the world can survive it, I really feel that this nation and world can make it through just about any thing.

Source(s):

Have live through a lot in my 73 years and this group is the worst I have ever seen.

Answer 18

it will survive the same way as we have survived over the last 1000 years

Evolution will guide us the way to the year 2206

Answer 19

I'd just like to ask why Dr. Stephen Hawkings would ask that question on yahoo and have the general public answer it. Interesting.

Answer 20

We change the way we see ourselves. As co-creators and not victims and take responsibility for our actions.
In the long run, does it really matter.....in this world but not of this world.

Answer 21

I reject the premise. The world is not in such bad shape. Politically we have a vast majority of the world that agree on fundamental principles. They might not be in the news every day, but things like the breakup of the Soviet Union and the creation of the European Union are major steps forward. Socially, if you were a woman in the early part of last century your options were whom to marry and what to cook for dinner. Today women and minorities enjoy more opportunity than ever before. Environmentally, the wheels of limited supply are turning. Over the next 30 years we will have to solve the oil problem. The free market has shown it can deal with change and our lifestyles can evolve. Many endangered species have been successfully protected. Our society seems to value conservation widely and actively.

So I am proud of where we've come as a planet and if we stick to the principles that got us this far we might look back in another 100 years and all be proud of what we did with the time.

Answer 22

With biblical prophecies coming true at an alarming rate, we will most likely be well into Christ's 1000 year reign on earth by then. Those 3 factors listed above do not matter because God's patience is wearing thin in these latter days, the Lord is coming for His church SOON.The biggest (and ONLY)question is, ARE YOU PREPARED?
Read John 3:3 and Ephesians 2:8-10 for more answers. Praise The Lord!

Source(s):

THE BIBLE (books of Daniel and Revelation )

Answer 23

more people will die if not getting rid of popullation that causes global warming ...

Answer 24

By all getting along to end wars but if mother nature has owt to do with it were all doomed i tell you doomed.

Answer 25

I've actually worried about the same thing for some time. It can't.

Answer 26

The same way it has for the last 100 years.

New technology will only make things even more comfortable.

Answer 27

Movement towards Spirituality and dealing with causes from within and away from Trying to deal with effects to change effects.

Answer 28

first we need to actually separate state from religion..then we need to strangle religion until it dies...when this is done world peace will come into being...then we can focus all the resources we wasted on religion on the well being of our fellow humans...once everyone is alive, well fed and cured of diseases, we can pour our knowledge into the evolution of mankind...by this time there will only be one place to go...the vast area of the solar system and all the area surrounding it...once we have used up all the natural recourse's of the planets orbiting our sun we should have developed faster than light-speed capabilities(if at all possible)...then we repeat the steps again...with the exception of religion...there are Manny variables which i did not address..feel free to email me with questions about these..do not feel free to email me about god or what ever your belief is. do not feel free to email me about my horrible punctuation or spelling either.

Source(s):

my sorce is in my head.

Answer 29

Who knows? There is no answer, we'll see & do as it comes.

Listen to 2Pac & hear his words. For he has said it all & now you just have to listen.

Source(s):

www.2paclegacy.com

Answer 30

OUTLAW GREED

Answer 31

Human race would definitely survive....and one significant tool for survival is political will....instead of free will.