Skeptics don't answer this please. Is our planet doomed?

Question

The reason I said 'skeptics dont answer', is because I'm looking for intelligent answers! This is based on a question asked by Astrophysist Dr. Stephen Hawking. Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.One of the most brilliant minds our planet has ever known. In fact, he even posted it on here.

Answer 1

I'm curious as to why you want a serious answer if you are not willing to listen to skeptics?  I would propose that you are not serious about finding an answer if you are not willing to look at the other side of the issue.  Not very scientific, are we?

Answer 2

Yes, but not for about another 5 billion years. Our sun is a star that will change it's burn and expand about that time, incinerating all the planets in our solar system. Gives us plenty of time to develop space travel and find another place to call home.

Answer 3

No way, but the human race will manage to destroy itself within a few hundred years.

Answer 4

In the strictest sense, yes, the planet is doomed. In a few billion years the sun will supernova and engulf the earth. It'll be over then.

If you're talking about global warming, then no. We adapt. that's the history of mankind. Even today, when they don't have to, people live in the coldest climates and the warmest. If global warming is actually occurring we'll adapt. That's what lifeforms do. Things will be different, but we certainly aren't doomed.

Answer 5

I love this question. "Skeptics don't answer..." and yet, you want opinions.

I'm guessing you only want the answers that match your opinion?

Answer 6

no

Answer 7

Our planet has a life span of about another 6 billion years to go, so yes.

It has been around for 4 billion years. We have been here as humans for around 180,000 of those years.

Don't confuse "Is the human race doomed" with "is the planet doomed". Both are. Looking at the natural history of the earth, it is far more likely that we will be gone long before the earth comes to an end.

99% of all species that have lived are extinct. Pretty well most of these disappeared well before we were here. Over the Cambrian period, we saw a few waves of extinction that wiped out around 50% of animals.

Are we about to die now? Don't know how bad this will be and how quickly it will happen. If it happens slowly, we could adapt. If it happens quickly, we might not.

Peace. By the way, listen to skeptics. Sometimes they are right.

Answer 8

well in theroy yes. if we dont do something about global warming were screwed.....so to speak.

Answer 9

This planet is not doomed and never will be. Yes global warming is a major problem for this planet due to us the human society. But I believe that we will evolve. The planet will survive regardless of how much global warming there is. Some animal species may become extinct, but if you take a darwiian point of view, through natural selection, they will evolve to better adapt to the "new" environment. The same could go for humans.

If by planet you mean society as it is, then I wouldn't say doomed. I would say it will change, but even if global warming was not as bad as it is right now, it would've changed anyway.

Answer 10

yes...probably...eventually...we are getting there...

Answer 11

Not if our planet accepts Jesus as its personal savior.

Answer 12

it's chances are not good - but, not because of global warming. Global warming will force species to extinction, spread disease, mess with economies, mess with weather, ect.

but the effects of global warming are relatively benign compared to other potential disasters.

ie asteroids,a blown super caldera, nuclear war, ect

Answer 13

Our planet is doomed..Not naturally.  Its because of US...We caused all of this, and we are going to take responsibility and the consequences that come with this...The world will be gone soon, but until that happens, nobody cares about the world.. They think "Oh I'll be dead by then! I don't care about futures I'm putting on the line!"  When it comes to the time the world will be gone, theyll be like "Why didn't I help stop this", when they already know why.  Its not too late to stop global warming from happening.  The damage has been done, but we can help prevent more.  Only if everybody cared...

Answer 14

You want it to be doomed? Well, it's not really doomed until it's doomed, if you know what I mean. There are countless things that could happen to change the result. Are you referring to the human race or the planet as a whole? I think that before the planet can recover we're going to have to go through a lot. To wake people out of their indifferent sleep there'll have to be a major event take place, such as flooding, starvation, etc. IF the human race becomes extinct or if many of us die the world will still move on. Whatever traumas it is put through I think it will recover. Whether humans will recover with it is yet to be seen.

Answer 15

Every day it's a miracle that a meteor doesn't hit and destroy the planet, but you can't go through your life worrying about that all the time.

Technically, yes, it is doomed, just as we are as soon as we are born.  Everything has a beginning and an end.

I doubt the planet will explode in our lifetime, but you never know...

Answer 16

You people are just as crazy as the religious fanatics in the world.

Answer 17

I don't understand. You ask if the planet is doomed...but don't want skeptics to answer, so you only want people who agree that yes...the planet is doomed to answer? Why ask?

Answer 18

In what way? The sun will eventually burn out, so yes, we are doomed.....but it's gonna be JUST fine for many many years.....unless Hilary wins, in that case, forget it

Answer 19

Yes, in 1-2 billion years the sun will expand and swallow the earth.  Clearly we are all doomed.  Doomed I say.

Answer 20

Sounds like a question a skeptic would ask.If you have all the answers why even bother?

Answer 21

WE ARE NOT DOOMED, SOMEDAY WE WILL LIVE ON OTHER PLANETS DESTROYING THEM LIKE EARTH

Answer 22

according to the darwinian theory of natural selection, better species will evolve to adapt to new environments. obviously, we have adapted much better than the prehistoric origanisms, and we will obviously adapt to the future.

besides... global warming is a natural phase in "cleansing" the earth. it has already gone through many ice ages; but the one coming up is already 6000 years late.

steven hawkings may be much more intelligent than us, but he lacks what many of us call "common sense". not all of us base everything on "concrete" scientific "proof", because it will always change. no offence to him of course >.>

Answer 23

Yes Dr. Hawkins said we were doomed!  The planet's temperature would increase to 450 degrees and it would be raining sulfur.

Answer 24

the way its going it can be.

but like i told someone else, if we run out of fossil fuels, people will decide to pull their heads out of their butts, and get more efficient cars. maybe some people might open their eyes, and discontinue cutting down trees, and such...

www.teslamotors.com

Answer 25

In time yes .... pure and simple the facts are we destroy so much everyday ( i.e. cutting down trees driving our cars trash ) that it is set to a doomsday

Answer 26

No.  Neither is mankind.  We're tough.

But things could get very unpleasant.

It won't be a Hollywood movie style disaster. Gradually coastal areas will flood and agriculture will be damaged. But it will be very bad. Rich countries will cope, but it will take huge amounts of money. In poor countries many people will die of starvation, but not all of them.  More details here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNe...

http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg2.h...

Most scientists say, in 20-50 years. But we need to start right now to fix it, fixing it will take even longer than that.

Answer 27

I believe in time the world will just randomly blow up.

Because of the sun....you know.

Answer 28

No.  Our planet isn't doomed.  The life on the world will go on and flourish in a few thousand years after the earth gets back in balance.  The bad news is this wonderful new world will be one without homo sapiens.

Answer 29

Yes and No, the yes is in the way distant future our planet is doomed. No is a little warming of our planet isn't going to cause our planet to end.

One other thing - You are extremely rude and arrogant. Believing that the skeptics on here aren't intelligent. I have seen many believers that seem to lack basic intelligents than I have from skeptics.

Answer 30

Yes, in 10 to 20 billion years "the sun will expand into a red ball and die, overwhelming Earth with the heat. Oceans will boil and evaporate, and other planets near the sun also will burn, leaving nothing but orbiting chunks of barren rock."

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9701/15/end.univ...

As for the shorter term outlook for global warming, the planet did just fine when it warmed in the past.  That's no consolation for us though.  Over 95% of all land and ocean species went extinct during the Permian–Triassic extinction event.

Permian–Triassic extinction event

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permian-Tri...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrate_G...

Climate simulation of the latest Permian: Implications for

mass extinction

http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/ccr/aboutus/staf...