What Non-Manmade "ELE" Could Threaten Earth Within 5 Years?

What "Extinction-Level-Event" could threaten Earth and all life on it within 5 years; one which is not man-made and one which we would have near-ample warning about (say 1 or 2 years warning)?

reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens


Anything that involves a natural disaster or an outer space interference

Originally posted by HomoSapiensSapiens
What "Extinction-Level-Event" could threaten Earth and all life on it within 5 years; one which is not man-made and one which we would have near-ample warning about (say 1 or 2 years warning)?

Eruption of Yellowstone

Football field sized asteroid

Massive 200X class solar flare aimed straight at Earth

Alien super laser

I'm sure there are more interesting possibilities.
Doom porn is fun for the whole family!

reply to post by Tlexlapoca


But what kind of natural disaster could occur on that scale (i.e. to wipe us all out)?

For the last few thousand years, we've been relatively fine if you think about it - even with comets, asteroids and pandemics...

There is talk about antibiotic-resistance bacteria - but that will affect us in later decades I heard...

reply to post by littled16


Could Yellowstone really erupt suddenly?

Lastly, could an asteroid really come upon us in that timescale - would we have ample warning within 5 years? Could space agencies spot it in that time frame?

Originally posted by HomoSapiensSapiens
reply to post by littled16

 

Could Yellowstone really erupt suddenly?

Lastly, could an asteroid really come upon us in that timescale - would we have ample warning within 5 years? Could space agencies spot it in that time frame?

Well you did specify with 1 to 2 years warning.
I believe we would have ample rumblings of a progressive nature from Yellowstone for at least a few years before total caldera collapse and eruption. I think we would spot a football field sized asteroid at least a few years before it got within striking range. Signs of a possible super solar flare would begin to appear long before an ELE flare and a super laser alien attack? That one maybe not a very timely warning period. I guess it would all depend on the aliens.

reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens


well about the same besides the Wars that kill people there are also diseases, hunger, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, all those things destroy and kill. If another "Black Death" happens alot of people will surely die.

Maybe some BIG catastrophe like a Comet htting the Earth wont happen, but if you think about it all these natural disasters can kill us little by little. and eventually if things get worst and the Earth goes crazy it can start wiping us out one by one.

Which reminds me about the movie "Children of Men" nobody was able to produce a child anymore, interesting aswell when you think of it in a bigger prespective like one day no species on earth is able to reproduce anymore

Fukushima. Already happened but the effects will continue long past my lifespan......

Next five years? Extinction? ...and with warning? Wow, the Burger King of disaster orders. Your way!

Well, I'd say the only thing to really give us warning would be a space based object. Nothing 'Earthside' tends to be kind enough to slowly build over a year or more for the REALLY big stuff. I don't know how big it would have to be but I can tell you where you can find out.

Purdue University Asteroid Impact Simulator

That allows a number of parameters to be set with a whole screen of tiled data returned on everything from wind blast at (user-defined) distances to global change, if any. I've only run miles in diameter in any way I've care about and nothing ever changes on a planetary level for that size object. You might share what you find though. It lets you choose type of material of the object and type being impacted (water/depth rock/type) So I'm guessing all that will give different numbers for a global whammy level.

If it's an absolute 'we're all gonna die', I'm not sure I'd want to know a couple years out, anyway. Maybe a few months for purely thoughts of anarchy to be had in the last short term.

If something stole the moon we'd be in big trouble.

Everything would change for the worse but slowly and agonisingly.

reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens


I would say Yellowstone if that erupts it is supposed to be able to cause a shock wave capable of wiping half of the states out and causes a dust cloud big enough to send the entire world plummeting into a new ice age and it could go off any time.

Also maybe if a deadly virus like Ebola found its way into an air port and spread world wide that could wipe us out.

Originally posted by nerbot
If something stole the moon we'd be in big trouble.

Everything would change for the worse but slowly and agonisingly.

Darn it don't give away my mega evil plan.....

reply to post by SupersonicSerpent


Ebola? Ebola's not a threat at all (to the world) - it can only be passed through direct contact with bodily fluids What's more is that whilst it's infectious, it also kills rapidly; hence it won't exactly cause a massive pandemic. It's not even airborne like SARs or flu!

I think that's the least we have to worry about - more ike this coronavirus business passed by touch; now that's something to be on the look out for! Deadly viruses which spread rapidly, but kill slowly.