7. War -- War has been a recurring theme for as long as man has been around, and an unfortunate means of wiping out certain populations. With the advent of nuclear weapons, we are theoretically always just one stroke away from total annihilation. War also has been an insidious instrument for slow-kill weapons such as depleted uranium which already has entered the jet stream, affecting people far removed from any actual battlefield. The sad fact is that the weapons and methods of war have only become more widespread and more violent as our history has unfolded. A side effect is that the governments who wage war and impose the control mechanisms to maintain and justify their actions of political repression and genocide have become the #1 cause of unnatural death -- the current toll is well over 262 million people. These are the same power-mad people who have enough nuclear warheads at their disposal to destroy the planet many times over.
6. Robotic Replacements -- Mankind's acumen for technological advancement has created new weapons and systems of war which previously only had been imagined in works of science fiction. Well, that science fiction story is now part of the daily news cycle. Machine warfare has arrived with drone bombings taking place around the globe. Beyond simple remote-controlled war, autonomous systems have been developed that are capable of unilateral decision making based on computerized threat assessments. And they can self-replicate. What role is there for human beings once robotic systems have either gone awry through malfunction ... or have "decided" that humanity is the real threat after all.
5. Runaway Nanotech -- The ability to self-replicate takes on even more potentially disastrous consequences in the area of nanotech. There has been a full commitment given by the U.S. government to fund all areas of nanotech including surveillance and security, which has given birth to micro drones that mimic the insect world, as well as "smart dust" in agriculture and beyond. Nanoparticles have already entered our food, appliances and clothing -- again without proper long-term testing, oversight, or consumer knowledge. Since nanoparticles have been proven to have caused brain damage in aquatic species, and nanotech has the capability to rewire the brain and permit "smart" devices to rewire themselves, we have to wonder what happens when this technology goes rogue.
3. Bee Colony Collapse -- Anything that centrally affects the global food chain has the ability to cascade across all species, rapidly collapsing the dominoes until it reaches the species sitting at the top. Also known as Colony Collapse Disorder, an increasing body of evidence points to the effects of pesticides as a main culprit leading to bees evacuating their colonies, while genetic engineering also has raised concern among experts such as Jeffrey Smith. In fact, Monsanto has been implicated, and perhaps as a hedge Monsanto has bought one of the leading bee research firms. However, buying "experts" to deny what is happening is not going to change reality. The excellent report below summarizes where we stand: 76% of all food production and 84% of plant species rely on bees for pollination to nourish the "food circle of life." And it turns out there is a smoking gun:
2. Oil Spills -- We have just reached the two-year anniversary of the BP oil disaster and all evidence points to a worsening situation: mutated fish, and a wide range of effects across the ecosystem of the Gulf. We would do well to remember that although this oil spill is the worst, there have been others around the world, and there surely will be more. The global interdependence of the food supply will lead to widespread contamination across the planet. How much can the environment take of corporate greed that sees true safety measures as being a threat to their bottom line, rather than a threat to all of humanity?
1. Fukushima -- This appears to be our most pressing threat, since it is not only far from over, but reactor 4, which has been weakened to a point of near collapse, contains over 1500 fuel rods, any one of which could kill billions if its plutonium is released. Independent experts are telling us that this will most assuredly lead to a near-extinction event for humanity. Meanwhile, the amount of radiation that already has been released -- on top of what is in our environment due to weapons of war and other reactor leaks -- is beginning to lead to physical signs across North America. Alaskan wildlife is showing signs of radiation poisoning, despite official denial; human cancer rates are spiking, and plant mutations are being recorded in Michigan. After governments have largely downplayed the situation by ignoring readings and raising radiation safety limits for food, a few are beginning to raise their voices in earnest to tell the world of a coming mass extinction event. To keep up with the latest about the unfolding Fukushima nightmare, please click here and here.
This is no time to be timid. The above scenarios are grim, but it is imperative that we face these very real threats and learn as much as we can so that we can avert disaster. Unfortunately, these human-created possibilities are too easily open for denial and self-delusion due to their largely hidden and silent nature, whereas a volcano, meteor, or pole shift cannot be actively ignored. The good news is that we can minimize or even reverse each and every one of these manufactured threats simply by becoming educated and sharing with others a message of courage, ingenuity and hope that is innate within our species.
Read other articles by Activist Post here.
Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter:
Delivered by FeedBurner
Be the Change! Share this using the tools below. Sharing on Reddit and Newsvine will help the most.
