A new study indicates that we must either develop technology to safely harness the energy needed to escape our planet or risk self-destruction in some cataclysmic event. Humanity faces a pivotal moment in its history.
However, a recent article argues that if we can develop technology to avoid destruction in such a cataclysm, we could become an interplanetary species within the next 200 years.
“The Earth is a tiny dot surrounded by darkness. Our current understanding of physics suggests that we are trapped on this small rock with limited resources,” stated Jonathan Jiang, the lead author of the study from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
If we develop powerful technology, we will be able to live on many other planets, escaping a cataclysm on Earth.
To make our planet a better place, humanity needs to significantly enhance the use of nuclear and renewable energy while also protecting these energy sources from being used for harmful purposes.
If humanity can safely transition away from fossil fuels in the coming decades, this could be a major breakthrough, the study suggests.
The dangers posed by increasing energy consumption may explain why scientists have not found evidence of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations.
If Earth is not particularly special and the development of life and intelligence is not unique, then the galaxy should be teeming with intelligent beings. Astronomically speaking, the Milky Way is billions of years old, while humans have only existed on Earth for a relatively short time. This means that by the time humans became intelligent, there should have been others around to meet us, or at least to leave a welcoming gift.
Life, especially intelligent life, seems to be extremely rare. Thus, there may be processes that eliminate intelligent life before a civilization can reach higher developmental stages. Most so-called “great filters” are various forms of self-destruction among species.
The presence of humans on multiple planets would serve as a strong bulwark against self-destruction. However, achieving a multi-planetary status requires a vast amount of energy, not only to establish short-term colonies but also to maintain officially self-sustaining cities.
The researchers followed the recommendations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which outlined clear consequences for the continued unchecked use of fossil fuels. In short, if humanity does not quickly transition its energy supply to alternatives such as nuclear and renewable energy, we will cause too much damage to our biosphere.
The scientists’ calculations include numerous assumptions, and the uncertainty in the estimates could be around 100 years. The calculations assume that we will find safe ways to handle nuclear waste and that increasing energy extraction will not lead to catastrophe. However, if we can maintain this process, we could lay the groundwork to protect humanity for generations to come in the next few hundred years.
