Surviving a Cataclysm
Stephen Hawking, the very famous physicist stated recently that if we do not want to become extinct, the only thing we can do is to abandon this planet. We as humans are very destructive, and besides the species we have destroyed and which we will probably destroy in the future, we might also destroy ourselves.
We can be destroyed through different ways, the most common one being asteroids, certain diseases, solar storms, and so on. You might consider his statement to be an exaggeration, but you need to know that 99 percent of the species which have existed on this planet became extinct. Luckily, there are some methods through which we might be able to save ourselves, and these are the best ones.
One of the methods of surviving would be to fix the planet. In case our planet would be hit by an asteroid, or something similar, the best way of surviving would be to rebuild. We would have to do it in a remote place which has not been touched by the asteroid. Luckily, storing water and food is not as difficult as one might believe. We have the possibility of reintroducing certain species back into the world, for example the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway contains more than 250 million seeds. Water can be easily purified and cleaned.
In case a disease or a plague might devastate the humans, one way of fighting against it would be to manipulate the genes. The scientists have discovered how to manipulate the genes of a virus, in order to force its evolution and they have also discovered a way of manipulating the genes of the humans. Certain viruses which are harmless for the body might be manipulated in order to help the human body, by protecting it from various illnesses and diseases, or by protecting certain cells. Thanks to the genetic engineering we might be able to make sure that the future generations will be protected by certain diseases. They might also find out a way of replacing the bad genes with the good ones.
Instead of moving to a different planet in order to survive, we might be able to go underground for the same purposes. In the 1930s, Japan wanted to create a 35-story “depth scraper,” because of the very difficult situation they had with the earthquakes. The idea was never realized, but it might be a great way of surviving in case of a pandemic. In case a nuclear winter might be on top of the surface, the best place to live would be underground, as those conditions would not be present there. The problem is that there is no sunlight there. Food and water might be obtained, but leaving there might put a heavy toll on the mind. The Chilean miners who have been trapped underground and have to stay there for three months have stated that it is very difficult to maintain the sanity there. Living underground would be a temporary fix until we would be able to find a better solution.
If the space is not an option and if the underground is not an option, then maybe the oceans are. The Ocean thermal energy conversion is a recently invented technology that uses the temperature differences between shallow and deep water in order to create energy. The OTEC technology could also be used in order to provide fresh water. Floating cities or partially submerged ones might have be the best solution for us, but unfortunately we currently do not have access to the technology required for such constructions.
One of the best and most difficult solutions would be to live in space, and more precisely in space stations. These space stations have often been featured in movies such as Star Wars, Star Treck, and many others. The best way would be to use the Stanford Torus which is a donut shaped ring structure that would be able to recreate Earth’s gravity by spinning. The interior of the structure would be large enough to simulate the conditions from our planet. The energy would be obtained from solar power and the building resources would be obtained from asteroids, or any other potential useful minerals. The benefit of using various such stations is that in case one of it would be destroyed, the humans would still be able to survive.
Another option of surviving would be to live on moons or asteroids. We would be able to live on satellite outposts and we would choose them depending on the resources which might be extracted from the region. It is a known fact that almost all the elements can be found in stable forms on comets or asteroids. The satellites that are rich in certain elements could be used for those materials. The benefit would be that since there is no gravity they could be easily transported. It has been observed that certain planets contain some sort of water.
Once we have managed to populate the satellites, the next step would be to populate the planets. They would be a permanent solution, as they would be full of minerals which would be essential for our surviving. Thanks to the technology that we would be able to use, we would be able to construct lots of cities on numerous planets. The problem is that life can not be sustained on some planets because of the harsh conditions which are present there. We would not be able to live on them, but maybe we would be able to find other planets to populate.
The best solution for us would be to make a planet which can not sustain life, suitable for sustaining life. The process is called terraforming, and unfortunately it is not available yet as we lack the technology required for it. However, many of the scientists believe that in the distant future we might have the possibility of using it. The process would give us the possibility of manipulating a planet by changing its temperature, atmosphere, and so on, through different methods. The most important thing would be to find a way of making the air breathable, and the best method of doing so would be to plant millions of trees.
