NASA study predicts collapse of global civilization ?

[Shanghigher]

Thanks for digression NASA, now if you could just go back to study and undertake what you were founded for, space exploration, that would be just great.


Doesn't that strike anyone else here as odd?
That an organisation devoted to space exploration publishes a socio/political/economical study like this? Did they get bored with space exploration at NASA and do they all want to be political/economic analysts & sociologists now? :?:

Actually, it's a pretty NASA thing to do. NASA has much more pointed towards the Earth than away from it. After all, how are we ever going to get off this rock if we don't get our stuff together first?

As for the overarching conversation going on here, I'm pretty much resigned to the idea that capitalism is going to eat itself, and a collapse is inevitable. A critical event is the only way people en masse actually get the idea things need to change - and I'm beginning to think that something cataclysmic may not even shake the table enough, given the high levels of spin that go around every major issue of today.

On the flip side, through my work, I've met many high profile individuals who are rallying against corruption and crusading for responsible capitalism. Whether or not they will attract critical mass to get their message across in time to prevent a collapse is another question. Personally, I feel an event will come, and it'll be up to smart people driven by social good to call the shots in the clean up. Maybe then, we can start putting public money into science and technology which will help us counteract our bleak future and get NASA doing what SKA says they should be doing - getting us into space.

 

[Chadaev]

Nasa distanced itself from the study after feeling the heat. But it was partly funded by them. Here is some detail from the journalist who broke the story:

Did Nasa fund 'civilisation collapse' study, or not? | Nafeez Ahmed

Nafeez Ahmed: Journalistic standards won't be upheld by attempting to discredit science we don't like

www.theguardian.com

As Nafeez Ahmed points out, the study is unusual in integrating the systemic effects of social inequality into the model.

 

[endlessness]

An interesting piece on a related subject:

Feeding 9 Billion - National Geographic

When we think about threats to the environment, we tend to picture cars and smokestacks, not dinner. But the truth is, our need for food poses one of the biggest dangers to the planet.

www.nationalgeographic.com

 

[universecannon]

Very interesting endless, thanks for the link. I didn't realize only 55% of the worlds crops actually go towards human mouths. Much of the rest goes towards livestock, obviously. And the amount of land dedicated to livestock alone, as it says, already takes up an area the size of Africa. Which is of course much larger than the amount used to grow crops... which takes up about the size of south american, they say (and less than half of those crops aren't even eaten by humans!). If that doesn't help put what you were saying earlier about reducing meat consumption into perspective I don't know what will.