Tajia Stroud (5th period): Earth is (Likely) Doomed, Humanity Needn't Be***

Summary***

   "Although the chance of a disaster to planet Earth in a given year may be quite low, it adds up over time, and becomes a near certainty in the next thousand or ten thousand years." This is what Hawking stated during his BBC Reith Lecture. Hawking argued that this near-certainty of doom will most likely be self inflict. He believes that it will be because of nuclear wars, global warming, and genetically engineered superviruses. Hawking also says, however, that there is still hope. On the up side, humans will continue to progress, but with serious world safety precautions. 

Analysis***

   When it comes to Stephen Hawking I generally trust a lot of what he says. But it's because a lot of it makes common sense. If we do continue to make dramatic changes to our planet, then its guaranteed that there will be some consequences. The one thing that I am unsure of is the fact that all humans will recognize their doings as bad and change their actions. Not everyone is open to the idea that they might be wrong. Especially big, rich, people who put themselves on pedestals. But I do believe that it's possible for most of us to see that a lot of things need to change in order for our plant to stay healthy. A synthesis of this article could be relating it to back when the very first nuclear weapon was created (as mentioned before), on July 16, 1945. It was tested in New Mexico and about three weeks later, the U.S. of A. dropped an atomic bomb on Japan's Hiroshima. I am pretty sure all members of the Manhattan Project were thinking about the fact that it had the ability to destroy. They didn't have the well-being of the earth in the front of their minds. "It's going to take the biggest ideas from the world's brightest minds to think up geoengineering projects that could safeguard our future" says Ian O'Neill, author of the article. 

source***  

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