A Brief Guide to The End of The World | Bryan Walsh | Talks at Google

What is going to cause our extinction?

How can we save ourselves and our future?

"End Times" is a compelling work of skilled reportage that peels back the layers of complexity around the unthinkable--and inevitable--end of humankind. From asteroids and artificial intelligence to volcanic super-eruptions to nuclear war, 15-year veteran science reporter and TIME editor Bryan Walsh provides a stunning panoramic view of the most catastrophic threats to the human race.

In "End Times", Walsh examines threats that emerge from nature and those of our own making: asteroids, super-volcanoes, nuclear war, climate change, disease pandemics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial intelligence. Walsh details the true probability of these world-ending catastrophes, the impact on our lives were they to happen, and the best strategies for saving ourselves, all pulled from his rigorous and deeply thoughtful reporting and research.

Walsh goes into the room with the men and women whose job it is to imagine the unimaginable. He includes interviews with those on the front lines of prevention, actively working to head off existential threats in biotechnology labs and government hubs. Guided by Walsh's evocative, page-turning prose, we follow scientific stars like the asteroid hunters at NASA and the disease detectives on the trail of the next killer virus.

Walsh explores the danger of apocalypse in all forms. In the end, it will be the depth of our knowledge, the height of our imagination, and our sheer will to survive that will decide the future.

[kokolocomotion]

I'm a bit surprised that climate change is seen as an existential risk considering the research done which proves that while destructive it is unlikely to end humanity completely. I would think through all his research this information would have been highlighted in this talk.

[timsmith]

Our collective technology is moving faster than our species can adapt intellectually to the harmful changes we make to the planet.

[Coffeebeard]

It doesn't have to be aliens (plural).

Could just be one big giant alien that destroys Earth.

I mean if there's an Earth-sized alien somewhere...

I'm sure The History Channel will back me up here.

[GrandNyorai]

A lot of this information is new to me. Thank you for being original and informative. 0.02% of extinction is still relatively high.

[LearnWithTheBest]

True, but you can't dwell on the negative. Try to live life to the fullest, every single day.

[CraigTalbert]

I wish he would have asked about surveillance capitalism along with asteroids, super volcanos, nuclear war, climate change, pandemics, bioengineered viruses, artificial intelligence, and aliens.

[human]

The risk is overpopulation although many hands make light work

[michaelhayes]

Direct air capture of CO2 for $100 a ton is highly questionable as we can pull CO2 out of ocean water for free and the atmospheric CO2 will replace that extracted CO2.

This is Marine Physics 101

Furthermore, stratospheric injection of sulfur will create polar stratospheric clouds and very rapidly heat the Antarctic as well as erode the ozone. We cannot use this geoengineering method even as a last-ditch effort as it is being advertised as.

This is Atmospheric Chem 101.

The primary champion of both direct air capture for $100 a ton and stratospheric aerosol injection is a single individual at Harvard and no one is truly questioning his knowledge of basic physics concerning what he is proposing. He seems to have become a Global Science celebrity which, in actuality, could not successfully stand in front of a Marine Physics 101 class nor an Atmospheric Chemistry 101 class and be taken seriously.

Here is a wealth of information on alternative carbon/thermal management geoengineering concepts:


I specialize in a form of vast scale regenerative mariculture which can heavely support the UN SDGs as well as draw down GtC/y. We will see massive population displacement over climate collapse, or for other reasons as mentioned in this presentation, and offshore self-sustainable heavy carbon negative infrastructure can weather such global catastrophic events better than any large-scale operation on land.

[willb]

I'm worried about Black Hole Collisions. :)

[TheoboldJamzen]

2Pet3:10 - Magnetosphere Failure aka Judgement
#GodIsAMachine

[mersase]

You can’t stop God’s judgement & vengeance to us who are sinners bc of the fall of our parents Adam & Eve & how God sent His Son Jesus to redeem the world if we accept Jesus. God has warned us through the Gospels of Jesus Christ through decades ... our intelligents will not save us from His judgments only through acceptance of His Son through repentance

[RalfStephan]

Carbon footprint of Germans is small because the country is small. Not a useful comparison. Better would have been to subtract all driving footprints.

[lisabeth]

Overpopulation Bryan. That’s what’s doing us in. We reached 8 billion today sir. But you’re ok with this number strangely. As long as everyone gets fed. That narrow view. How about quality of life how about the planet does not have endless resources for the 8 billion. Your recent article was so flawed and left out so much. Must be nice to live a cushy life.

[alciao]

Jesus said, “unless you believe that I Am He, you shall die in your sins.”