What if the world were definitely going to end in 200 years?

[Kolby Jack]

As in, hypothetically, astronomers find a massive asteroid on an impact course with Earth that will destroy all life on the planet and possibly the planet itself, and its ETA is 200 years. It doesn't HAVE to be an asteroid, it could be anything. The point is, in 200 years, bye-bye Earth.

What do you think would happen? What would the response from the world governments be? Could we escape the impending doom in that amount of time? What if it were 100 years? 50? 10?

 

[JoJo]

Given the trillions that have been sunk into wars and the economy over recent years, if there really was a certain threat in 200 years time then I'm sure the money would materialise very quickly. Of course, chances are only a small percentage of the population (richest) would likely get to escape the impending doom when it finally comes but hey, I could be wrong. Technology has advanced an insane amount over the last couple of centuries and having the threat of death above people's heads could be a great incentive for designing sustainable space travel extra quickly.

Alternatively, another climate change might happen and a whole load of non-scientists will stick their heads in the sand and pretend nothings happening to keep their profit margins fat

 

[Erttheking]

I'd say sink trillions of dollars into some sort of MAC cannon to destroy the asteroid or poor it into space programs and escape to Mars and the Moon.

 

[C F]

We'd think of something. Chances are, the United States, Russia, and maybe China are going to employ three different plans to get rid of the thing.

If we've plotted the rock's trajectory to the point we know where it will be in a few hundred years, we have plenty of time to load up a super-missile to launch out into space and intercept it from a safe distance. We don't even need to destroy it; all we need to do is give it a little nudge in any other direction.

Astronomically, it's like: "Here's a grain of sand. Down is firing range is another grain of sand. I want you to toss your grain and hit the other grain." Even if you were miraculously on mark, you'll miss if a stray wind or something blows through mid-flight.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Spoiler: Save us, Bruce!

Seriously, there would be massive amounts of money being sunk into evacuating to a base on Mars (which I think would probably hold about 10% of the world's population by asteriod time). There would probably be some riots and mass suicides now, then calming down for most of the period, then ramping up again in the last decade before impact.

 

[Kolby Jack]

We'd think of something. Chances are, the United States, Russia, and maybe China are going to employ three different plans to get rid of the thing.

If we've plotted the rock's trajectory to the point we know where it will be in a few hundred years, we have plenty of time to load up a super-missile to launch out into space and intercept it from a safe distance. We don't even need to destroy it; all we need to do is give it a little nudge in any other direction.

Astronomically, it's like: "Here's a grain of sand. Down is firing range is another grain of sand. I want you to toss your grain and hit the other grain." Even if you were miraculously on mark, you'll miss if a stray wind or something blows through mid-flight.

The rock itself isn't really the point. The point is what if the Earth were going to end in 200 years. How it does so doesn't really matter, I just used the asteroid as an example.

 

[C F]

The point is what if the Earth were going to end in 200 years. How it does so doesn't really matter, I just used the asteroid as an example.

Well, no one likes anarchy, so I'm assuming governments are going to pay ludicrous amounts of compensation to certain people for arbitrary reasons in what is most assuredly not an exchange of any sorts. I'm certain those people will say or do nothing at all that might upset the peace. No, sir.
Upstanding citizenship all around.

Sincerely,
> [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Laconic/SdrawkcabName] Dr. Eidot Gni Ogllaerew.

 

[Kolby Jack]

The point is what if the Earth were going to end in 200 years. How it does so doesn't really matter, I just used the asteroid as an example.

Well, no one likes anarchy, so I'm assuming governments are going to pay ludicrous amounts of compensation to certain people for arbitrary reasons in what is most assuredly not an exchange of any sorts. I'm certain those people will say or do nothing at all that might upset the peace. No, sir.
Upstanding citizenship all around.

Sincerely,
> [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Laconic/SdrawkcabName] Dr. Eidot Gni Ogllaerew.

There's some kind of hidden message in your post... Upstanding citizenship... has 21 letters! 21 + 2 = 23!! And the name... put through a cypher of some kind... minus the founding fathers, times the third finger of Jesus's left hand in the Last Supper...

We're all going to dierd!!!!!!!! EVERYBODY PANIC!!!!!

 

[Vault101]

am I going to live for 200 years?

no, then I'm not going to have children as I dont want my next of kin to experience the apocolypes (even if it is great great great gran-kids)

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

I don't care, I'll be dead by then.

 

[Valanthe]

I don't care, I'll be dead by then.

I'd like to think of myself as more of a humanitarian that this... but when it really comes down to it, my first thoughts are "Why should I care?"

So yeah... I agree with above, and I think the majority of the world's population would do the same.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

200 years? Live my everyday life. I'm not the guy who saves the world, I'm the guy who survives for a short time and then dies a mediocre death. That's my place and I'm cool with it.

 

[Zen Toombs]

If that sort of circumstance were to happen, then I think that this will provide us with assistance:

Spoiler

With the clock ticking I think humanity will pull itself together.

 

[Fijiman]

Considering probably I won't be alive in 200 years, I don't really care. However, I imagine that anyone/anything still on the Earth would be effectively screwed. Sure there might be some things that might survive, but most of everything and everyone would be screwed.

 

[Robert Sanders]

Oh crap,200 years! There was so much I was going to do with my life by then! Game over man, game over! Seriously, after the initial shock, that timeline isn't that impending to most people. The next few generations might start to feel it, but it won't be more a threat than our own eventual demises.

 

[FalloutJack]

Oh, so the plot to Rage, then. Well...ummm...I'll be dead by then. Also, for amusment sake...


MIKE NELSON, DESTROYER OF PLANETS!

 

[Zhadramekel]

One word, lasers. Laser cannon = bye bye meteorite.

 

[Arakasi]

One word, lasers. Laser cannon = bye bye meteorite.

You, sir, missed the point.

Anyhow, I think, if we were wise as a species (HAHAHAH) we would go on one last bender to end all benders. Burn ALL THE FOSSIL FUELS, MAKE ALL THE SPACESHIPS, USE ALL THE RESOURCES, JOIN ALL THE COUNTRIES!

The government(s) wouldn't release the information anyway, lest it insight mass chaos (which it probably would).