According to a new study sponsored by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, we only have a few decades left before everything we know and hold dear collapses.
The report, written by applied mathematician Safa Motesharrei of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center along with a team of natural and social scientists, explains that modern civilization is doomed. And there's not just one particular group to blame, but the entire fundamental structure and nature of our society.
Analyzing five risk factors for societal collapse (population, climate, water, agriculture and energy), the report says that the sudden downfall of complicated societal structures can follow when these factors converge to form two important criteria.
Motesharrei's report says that all societal collapses over the past 5,000 years have involved both "the stretching of resources due to the strain placed on the ecological carrying capacity" and "the economic stratification of society into Elites [rich] and Masses (or "Commoners") [poor]."
This "Elite" population restricts the flow of resources accessible to the "Masses", accumulating a surplus for themselves that is high enough to strain natural resources. Eventually this situation will inevitably result in the destruction of society.
Elite power, the report suggests, will buffer "detrimental effects of the environmental collapse until much later than the Commoners," allowing the privileged to "continue 'business as usual' despite the impending catastrophe."
The above report from NASA basically sez that it was the rich Romans Mayans, and the contemporary Western rich which doomed themselves, and their slaves or in our case employees.
I'd love to see a trial of the corporate, and leisure class guilty before it all devolves into Mad Max time. 2000 sharp guillotines in front of the Stock Exchange downtown.
2000 sharp Guillotines no waiting.
Btw them wonks at NASA are moral cowards...no surprise. They'd have no problem telling us that a comet was about to blow us to bits. However telling the hard truth that it's how we knowingly organized our world society is our downfall is too dicey for'em.
Admitting even now that's it's too late to change that the gross inequalities of our civilization is the true enemy goes too far for them. This being so NASA is scuttling like crazy to cover their ample butts.
They're distancing themselves like mad from this report. That clanging sound you just heard was NASA's balls falling off.
Stay Tuned.
I haven't read the report, but from the description it sounds pretty much like what Dmitry Orlov and other doomers have been saying for quite a while now. I think the preponderance of the evidence supports their view. Sudden or slow, the collapse of industrial civilization is already underway.
ReplyDeleteZ
We the Boomers, and our parents the "Greatest Generation" were blessed to see our Empire at it absolute peak.
ReplyDeleteWe overcame the Great Depression defeated the AXIS the most evil human manifestation sine the Khan raged across Pan-Asia.
We cured diseases that had tormented humanity for millennia went to the Moon the Planets, and sent our first two Star Ships the Voyagers into eternity.
Invented new means of sharing all the collected knowledge of our species which you're using this moment. Made instant communication for everyone all over our world routine.
Made Queerdom somewhat okay...with major exception, but it's a beginning.
We even saw in our lifetimes the actual change of our planetary climate...with our own eyes!
I pity the generations that have followed us. They only know retreat, and loss. We knew Hope, and Progress. When I speak to them I find they can't conceptualize our point of view. Our set of expectation our yes routine Hopefulness.
They have my sincere sympathy.
G-ddess help them as the Dark Centuries overcome them, and their descendants. Granted there will be Light on other side of this Dark Age. However it's a very long, long time away.