10 points for best answer! Things that affect the world.?

Question

What top 5 things do you think contribute to the destruction of the world? Like deforestation, aerosols etc. Opinions please!

Answer 1

Since this is Earth sciences, I respect that you don't mean our total world (which can be destroyed by eliminations of freedoms, etc) but the physical world.

As such, hmm...

1) Huge Asteroids

2) All-out nuclear war

3) Outsmarting nature such that global population climbs from

----- 270 million in 1350 to

----- 500 million in 1650

---1,000 million in 1835

---2,000 million in 1932

---3,000 million in 1964

---4,000 million in 1976

---5,000 million in 1988

---6,000 million in 1998

---7,000 million by 2010

4) Compounded by exploiting nature

--- Before 1900, all but a scant minority of houses were for shelter only, plumbing was outdoors, all transportation used renewable fuels, the average square footage of home/office/total-bldg space per person was under 200 - and minimal fossil-fuel was used for climate/comfort (heat only)

---Today, most residents of the EU, UK, US, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Korea, Japan,...essentially all developed nations plus a BILLION new-comers in nations like China, India and smaller affected nations.. have home/office space allocation of nearly 1,400 sf per person on avg, all climate controlled using fossil and nuclear fuels.

Road-area was negligible before 1900, now pervasive and growing parallel to growth of industrializing populations.

5) Assuming we're just too itty-bitty to hurt any part of nature (wiping out rain-forests and nuking a corral reef doesn't convince these people, yet they draw a 'logical' following)

...

Answer 2

Human needs......

Answer 3

Pollution: Global warming, garbage, nuclear waste, etc.

Technology: Emitting gases and nanoparticles into the environment without knowing the effects, spending more time trying to build state-of-the-art weapons and machines instead of using time and money for environmental solutions.  We are building and inventing new technology without thinking of the possible harm to our planet and our way of life.  New technology has a lot of great advantages, but it also makes us lazy.

Overpopulation: There are too many humans on this planet and not enough of us stop to think what this means.  People don't have the mind set of "What would happen if everyone had 5 kids like we do?"  We are bringing new generations into a world that we are already not taking care of.

General environmental neglect: Cigarette butts, chewing gum, plastic wrappers from Cd's, water waste, oil spills, killing endangered species, etc.

Human nature: Countries care more about building nuclear weapons and other machines to "one-up" the other, and be ready for war.  Thousands of research projects and non-profit environmental agencies are gone or diminishing because their funding has gone to "the war".  People create reasons to fight and be destructive instead of spending time and intelligence ensuring a future.

Answer 4

I think the number one thing that effects the world would be human life.  We cause pollution, overpopulation, destruction, wars, the astronomical amount of garbage we just pile up around the world, the devestation of entire cultures, I could go on and on.

Answer 5

None of those things are destroying the world.

They may be changing the climate, might make things hard on humans and other critters, and might even end life on the planet, but the planet will still be here even if all life goes extinct.

Now, the number one danger to the biosphere is too many humans. But, that is our fault for taking away the penalty for being stupid.

Answer 6

Overpopulation

Dependence on Fossil Fuels

Culture

Government subsidies for oil drilling and ore mining

Feigned ignorance

Answer 7

desforestation,globel warming--ozone--earth quakes ans sea sunamies etc.

Answer 8

1.Above all the fact that the Earth exists within space-time and is subject to eventual annihilation

2.Proliferation of Fundamentalist Ideology

3.Human Consciousness

4. Existence of fundamental concepts which are paradoxical to absolute truths

5.Rosie O' Donnell

Answer 9

I think there is just one thing...IGNORANCE...

Answer 10

Gotta say these top 5:

1.Terroisim and Slavery

2. Global Warming/Pollution

3. Building and Developing more and more(cities,houses etc.)

4. Massive Coorperations(Wal-mart, Target etc.)

5. Destruction of Animals and their Habitats

This is just my opinion =)

Answer 11

plastic

aerosols

green house gasses

polar ice caps melting

hate