Who or what was described by Ken Livingstone as “The greatest threat to life on this planet that we’ve most probably ever seen?
"to London during his administration; from 2000 to 2005 London's population grew by 200,000 to reach 7.5 million. He didn't oppose this, encouraging racial equality and celebrating the city's multiculturalism. Livingstone condemned the UK's involvement in the Iraq War and involved himself in the Stop the War campaign. In November 2003, he made headlines for referring to US President George W. Bush as ""the greatest threat to life on this planet,"" just before Bush's official visit to the UK. Livingstone also organised an alternative ""Peace Reception"" at City Hall ""for everybody who is not George Bush,"" with anti-war Vietnam veteran"
"to be aware of the dangers we now face."" Hawking expressed concern that life on Earth is at risk from a sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, global warming, or other dangers humans have not yet thought of. Hawking has stated: “I regard it as almost inevitable that either a nuclear confrontation or environmental catastrophe will cripple the Earth at some point in the next 1,000 years”, and has considered an ""asteroid collision"" to be the biggest threat to the planet. Such a planet-wide disaster need not result in human extinction if the human race were to be able"
"a current and existential national security risk… defined as one that threatens the premature extinction of Earth-originating intelligent life or the permanent and drastic destruction of its potential for desirable future development."" In 2014, Leonardo DiCaprio stated during a United Nations conference, ""The time to answer the greatest challenge of our existence on this planet is now. You can make history or be vilified by it."" At a 2015 security conference, Arnold Schwarzenegger called climate change the issue of our time. A RAND Corporation blog noted in 2015, ""Climate change can affect conflict around the world in uncertain and complex"
"the World Bank. The Commission released its landmark report in Oct 2017 confirming Fuller’s long-held view, finding that pollution is the largest environmental cause of death in the world, killing over 9 million people worldwide, threatening the ""continuing survival of human societies."" In an open letter to mark the release of the report from The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, Fuller writes: “For too long, pollution has been sidelined, overshadowed, ignored by the world, in part because it is a complicated topic with many causes, and as many outcomes. Often it kills slowly, and indirectly, hiding its tracks. With"
"been characterized as inefficient. Still, around 60% of humans known to have been infected with the current Asian strain of HPAI A(H5N1) have died from it, and H5N1 may mutate or reassort into a strain capable of efficient human-to-human transmission. In 2003, world-renowned virologist Robert G. Webster published an article titled ""The world is teetering on the edge of a pandemic that could kill a large fraction of the human population"" in ""American Scientist"". He called for adequate resources to fight what he sees as a major world threat to possibly billions of lives. On September 29, 2005, David Nabarro,"
"Answers to the Big Questions"", considered an asteroid collision to be the biggest threat to the planet. In June 2018, the US National Science and Technology Council warned that America is unprepared for an asteroid impact event, and has developed and released the """"National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy Action Plan"""" to better prepare. According to expert testimony in the United States Congress in 2013, NASA would require at least five years of preparation before a mission to intercept an asteroid could be launched. Extraterrestrial life could invade Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under a colonial"
"the benefits may be enjoyed by far future generations, and though these quadrillions of future people would in theory perhaps be willing to pay massive sums for existential risk reduction, no mechanism for such a transaction exists. Some sources of catastrophic risk are natural, such as meteor impacts or supervolcanoes. Some of these have caused mass extinctions in the past. On the other hand, some risks are man-made, such as global warming, environmental degradation, engineered pandemics and nuclear war. The Cambridge Project at Cambridge University states that the ""greatest threats"" to the human species are man-made; they are artificial intelligence,"
"technologies provide a much greater danger to humanity than any technology before it has ever presented. In particular, he focuses on genetics, nanotechnology and robotics. He argues that 20th-century technologies of destruction, such as the nuclear bomb, were limited to large governments, due to the complexity and cost of such devices, as well as the difficulty in acquiring the required materials. He also voices concern about increasing computer power. His worry is that computers will eventually become more intelligent than we are, leading to such dystopian scenarios as robot rebellion. He notably quotes the Unabomber on this topic. After the"
"of dead, one-planet civilizations. Musk has frequently spoken about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, calling it ""the most serious threat to the survival of the human race."" During a 2014 interview at the MIT AeroAstro Centennial Symposium, Musk described AI as humanity's largest existential threat, further stating, ""I'm increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don't do something very foolish."" Musk described the creation of artificial intelligence as ""summoning the demon"". Despite this, Musk has previously invested in DeepMind, an AI firm,"
"to most likely: Last Days on Earth The Last Days on Earth is a ""20/20"" science special which aired on ABC in August 2006 and has been aired on The History Channel. The show counts down the seven most likely ways in which human life could end, including gamma ray bursts, black holes, machine rule, asteroids, super volcanoes, nuclear war, pandemic flu, and climate change. It includes input from a number of scientists including Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking and Kevin Warwick. In 2007 it received an Emmy nomination for its graphic and artistic design. These are organized"
"is any risk that is at least ""global"" in scope, and is not subjectively ""imperceptible"" in intensity. Those that are at least ""trans-generational"" (affecting all future generations) in scope and ""terminal"" in intensity are classified as existential risks. While a global catastrophic risk may kill the vast majority of life on earth, humanity could still potentially recover. An existential risk, on the other hand, is one that either destroys humanity (and, presumably, all but the most rudimentary species of non-human lifeforms and/or plant life) entirely or at least prevents any chance of civilization recovering. Bostrom considers existential risks to be"
"soil erosion, corporate power, large dams, and, not least, the World Bank's alleged role in ""financing the destruction of our planet"". Signed by over thirty of the leading scientists of the day—l, including Sir Julian Huxley, Sir Frank Fraser Darling, Sir Peter Medawar, Sir Peter Scott, and C. H. Waddington, Goldsmith and his fellow editor Robert Allen made headlines in January 1972 with ""A Blueprint for Survival"". The ""Blueprint"" was a far reaching proposal for a radical transition to a largely decentralised and deindustrialised society, an attempt to prevent what the authors referred to as "" the breakdown of society"
"Last Days on Earth The Last Days on Earth is a ""20/20"" science special which aired on ABC in August 2006 and has been aired on The History Channel. The show counts down the seven most likely ways in which human life could end, including gamma ray bursts, black holes, machine rule, asteroids, super volcanoes, nuclear war, pandemic flu, and climate change. It includes input from a number of scientists including Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking and Kevin Warwick. In 2007 it received an Emmy nomination for its graphic and artistic design. These are organized from least likely"
"produced from human activity but also applies broadly to all major human impacts on the environment. David Attenborough described the level of human population on the planet as a multiplier of all other environmental problems. In 2013, he described humanity as ""a plague on the Earth"" that needs to be controlled by limiting population growth. Some deep ecologists, such as the radical thinker and polemicist Pentti Linkola, see human overpopulation as a threat to the entire biosphere. In 2017, over 15,000 scientists around the world issued a second warning to humanity which asserted that rapid human population growth is the"
"sure when."" Also in 2018, physicist Stephen Hawking, in his final book ""Brief Answers to the Big Questions"", considered an asteroid collision to be the biggest threat to the planet. In June 2018, the US National Science and Technology Council warned that America is unprepared for an asteroid impact event, and has developed and released the """"National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy Action Plan"""" to better prepare. According to expert testimony in the United States Congress in 2013, NASA would require at least five years of preparation before a mission to intercept an asteroid could be launched. Most deflection efforts for"
"deforestation, desertification, climate change, or massive water pollution episodes. Detected in the early 21st century, a threat in this direction is colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon that might foreshadow the imminent extinction of the Western honeybee. As the bee plays a vital role in pollination, its extinction would severely disrupt the food chain. An October 2017 report published in The Lancet stated that toxic air, water, soils, and workplaces were collectively responsible for 9 million deaths worldwide in 2015, particularly from air pollution which was linked to deaths by increasing susceptibility to non-infectious diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and"
"Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's ""The Little Prince"". In April 2018, the B612 Foundation reported ""It's a 100 per cent certain we'll be hit [by a devastating asteroid], but we're not 100 per cent sure when.""Also in 2018, physicist Stephen Hawking, in his final book ""Brief Answers to the Big Questions"", considered an asteroid collision to be the biggest threat to the planet. In June 2018, the US National Science and Technology Council warned that America is unprepared for an asteroid impact event, and has developed and released the """"National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy Action Plan"""" to better prepare. According to expert"
"quarantines to protect their populations. International bodies such as the World Health Organization already devote some of their resources to monitoring epidemics and have served clearing-house roles in historical epidemics. Media attention toward the seriousness of biological attacks increased in 2013-2014. In July 2013, ""Forbes"" published an article with the title ""Bioterrorism: A Dirty Little Threat With Huge Potential Consequences."" In November 2013, Fox News reported on a new strain of botulism, saying that the Centers for Disease and Control lists botulism as one of two agents that have “the highest risks of mortality and morbidity”, noting that there is"
"irreparable harm to the biosphere. With conservation management and planning for biodiversity at all levels, from genes to ecosystems, there are examples where humans mutually coexist in a sustainable way with nature. Even with the current threats to biodiversity there are ways we can improve the current condition and start anew. Many of the threats to biodiversity, including disease and climate change, are reaching inside borders of protected areas, leaving them 'not-so protected' (e.g. Yellowstone National Park). Climate change, for example, is often cited as a serious threat in this regard, because there is a feedback loop between species extinction"
"2017 Osterholm and coauthor Mark Olshaker published the critically acclaimed ""Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs"". Richard Preston, author of ""The Hot Zone"" and ""The Demon in the Freezer"", writes of the book, ""When Osterholm tells us that the potential for global pandemics is a life-or-death issue for every person on the planet, we need to listen. ""Deadliest Enemy"" is a powerful and necessary book that looks at the threat of emerging diseases with clarity and realism, and offers us not just fear but plans."" In April 2017 ""MinnPost"" published a two-part interview (part 1, part 2) with Osterholm"
"system, steal the planet's resources, or destroy the planet altogether. Although evidence of alien life has never been documented, scientists such as Carl Sagan have postulated that the existence of extraterrestrial life is very likely. In 1969, the ""Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law"" was added to the United States Code of Federal Regulations (Title 14, Section 1211) in response to the possibility of biological contamination resulting from the U.S. Apollo Space Program. It was removed in 1991. Scientists consider such a scenario technically possible, but unlikely. An article in ""The New York Times"" discussed the possible threats for humanity of intentionally sending"
"event is the only known impact in historical times to have resulted in a large number of injuries, with the possible exception of the poorly documented 1490 Ch'ing-yang event in China. The approximately 20 meter Chelyabinsk meteor is the largest recorded object to have impacted a continent of the Earth since the Tunguska event. Future impacts are bound to occur, with much higher odds for smaller regionally damaging asteroids than for larger globally damaging ones. The 2018 final book of physicist Stephen Hawking, ""Brief Answers to the Big Questions"", considers an asteroid collision the biggest threat to our planet. In"
"student. The two were caught just before carrying out their plan. The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, which comprises a group of experts on national security and government officials, in which Gerstein had previously testified to, submitted its National Blueprint for Biodefense to Congress in October 2015 listing their recommendations for devising an effective plan. Bill Gates said in a February 18 ""Business Insider"" op-ed (published near the time of his Munich Security Conference speech) that it is possible for an airborne pathogen to kill at least 30 million people over the course of a year. In a ""New"
"on the state of US preparedness for biological disaster, either as a result of terrorist activity, inadvertent release of hazardous pathogens or a disease pandemic. In October 2015 the panel found the government's preparation for biodefense lacking in that it was fragmented across a multiplicity of federal agencies, among other problems. The bipartisan panel, with members such as former senators Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) and Tom Daschle (D–South Dakota) was organized by the first Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge. Lieberman and Ridge concluded that biological threats are ""…among the most sinister – and potentially catastrophic – our nation faces."" They"
"from food shortages, depleted resources and poverty and in the documentary ""Aftermath: Population Overload"". David Attenborough described the level of human population on the planet as a multiplier of all other environmental problems. In 2013, he described humanity as ""a plague on the Earth"" that needs to be controlled by limiting population growth. Most biologists and sociologists see overpopulation as a serious threat to the quality of human life. Some deep ecologists, such as the radical thinker and polemicist Pentti Linkola, see human overpopulation as a threat to the entire biosphere. The effects of overpopulation are compounded by overconsumption. According"
"Hollywood movie. Kate Bush wrote the song ""Ken"" for the episode, which was then released as a B-side to her single ""Love and Anger"". Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001. A former member of the Labour Party, he was on the party's"
"Po Powell said to ""Rolling Stone"" that the arid landscape that once held one of the world's four largest inland lakes was now ""A surreal image if ever I saw one ... a shocking example of human mismanagement and one of the planet's worst environmental disasters. ... The river has shrunk to 10 percent of its original size, destroying the fishing industry and whole townships."" As the disaster is somewhat well-known, Powell tried to focus on what it means to a younger generation that was now growing up without the fishing and maritime influences of their forefathers. In contrast, the"
"as International Asteroid Day to educate the public about asteroids. The date of International Asteroid Day commemorates the anniversary of the Tunguska asteroid impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908. In April 2018, the B612 Foundation reported ""It's 100 percent certain we'll be hit [by a devastating asteroid], but we're not 100 percent sure when."" Also in 2018, physicist Stephen Hawking, in his final book ""Brief Answers to the Big Questions"", considered an asteroid collision to be the biggest threat to the planet. In June 2018, the US National Science and Technology Council warned that America is unprepared"
"is the most obvious threat to public health, but is probably no more serious now than it was before homosexuality ceased to be illegal."" He described AIDS as a ""perhaps non-existent condition"". In the late 1980s, as evidence for the Big Bang origin of the Universe accumulated, Maddox, who favoured the Steady State theory, penned an editorial denouncing the theory as ""philosophically unacceptable"" (because he saw it giving a foothold to Creationists) and ""over-simplistic"" and he predicted its demise within a decade (when results from the Hubble Space Telescope would become available). Maddox authored and edited numerous publications including: In"
"bioterrorism using genetically modified organisms, cyberterrorism destroying critical infrastructure like the electrical grid; or the failure to manage a natural pandemic. Problems and risks in the domain of earth system governance include global warming, environmental degradation, including extinction of species, famine as a result of non-equitable resource distribution, human overpopulation, crop failures and non-sustainable agriculture. Examples of non-anthropogenic risks are an asteroid impact event, a supervolcanic eruption, a lethal gamma-ray burst, a geomagnetic storm destroying electronic equipment, natural long-term climate change, or hostile extraterrestrial life. Philosopher Nick Bostrom classifies risks according to their scope and intensity. A ""global catastrophic risk"""
"a combination of scientific, logical, intuitive, and spiritual reasoning – towards a future where all is not, after all, lost."" In 1994, during the UN International Conference on Population and Development, the ""Montreal Gazette"" quoted Tobias, ""For purposes of absolute clarity I call it World War III,"" or, as the Gazette extrapolated from Tobias' perspective, ""the most terrifying problem humanity has ever faced."" In her foreword to ""World War III"", Jane Goodall said of Tobias that he has provided ""ample scientific proof of the large-scale habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity that has and continues to take place."" Tobias' feature-film"
"The Uninhabitable Earth The Uninhabitable Earth is a ""New York"" magazine article by American journalist David Wallace-Wells published on July 9, 2017. The long-form article depicts a worst-case scenario of what might happen in the near-future due to global warming. The article starts with the statement ""[i]f your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible."" According to David Wallace-Wells, the story was the most read article in the history of the New York Magazine. On November 20, 2017, NYUs Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute hosted"
"of the world's resources at an unsustainable rate. ... During a remarkably short period of time, we have lost a quarter of the world's topsoil and a fifth of its agricultural land, altered the composition of the atmosphere profoundly, and destroyed a major proportion of our forests and other natural habitats without replacing them. Worst of all, we have driven the rate of biological extinction, the permanent loss of species, up several hundred times beyond its historical levels, and are threatened with the loss of a majority of all species by the end of the 21st century."" Further, even in"