The Oil Drum

37 comments on Another book for the shelf

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Engineer-Poet on December 14, 2005 - 4:15pm

You do realize that 7 and beyond are impossible without massive nuclear war?

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Magnus Redin on December 14, 2005 - 4:41pm

Is that enough? How about steering several massive asteroids to collide with earth?

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Engineer-Poet on December 15, 2005 - 10:03am

Or inducing the Sun to go nova.

Pardon me for not writing a comprehensive list. ;-)

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Agric on December 15, 2005 - 12:29pm

...or a major eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera, or really massive climate change, no doubt we can invent a few more. Besides, I think that there is a probability of about perhaps 0.5% per year of a significant nuclear war over the next 30 years.

The latter points on the scale are for completeness, not as probable outcomes for the imminent changes we face. I devised the scale as a context to assess risks and consider appropriate and wise actions, like collecting and preserving important information, tools and skills, should a particular level of collapse seem possible. Once the level of collapse reaches 6 there is little advance planning can do to make much difference.