There’s a great deal of climate change hype out there, as scientists strain to convince naysayers. However we believe we can take Simon Beard and Lauren Holt seriously. That’s because they write for the Center for the Study of Existential Risk. We were curious to know whether global warming is driving their biggest natural threats. If it is, then battery storage should be able to help counter these.
What are Simon and Lauren’s Biggest Natural Threats?
The two writers titled their piece ‘What are the biggest threats to humanity?’ They answer, these are volcanic events, a severe disease pandemic, and a solar flare disrupting electricity grids. They also mention a nuclear war as nations squabble over resources.
Scientists believe global warming could melt ice covering volcanoes and cause landslides disturbing the ‘magma plumbing system’ deep inside. History records the super volcanic eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in 1815. It hurled ash into the atmosphere triggering ‘the year without a summer’.
Vector- and Water-Borne Diseases Threatening Humanity
The New England Journal of Medicine says pandemic diseases will also have ‘enormous implications for human health’. We know that ‘vector insects’ such as mosquitoes require warm temperatures to breed. Global warming is seeing them move further south in Africa. Their malaria could be one of the biggest natural threats alongside water-borne diseases like cholera.
The New England Journal speaks of ‘infectious diseases spreading into previously unaffected geographic areas’. Solar flares could also have an impact. However Sceptical Science says ‘sun and climate have been going in opposite directions.’ This is due to a slight solar cooling during the past 35 years.
Once again, the proof is there. Global warming is threatening our tenure on Earth. We have to cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. Wind and solar energy are up to the task. However batteries are largely waiting in the wings, for humankind’s call when it comes.
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Preview Image: Hoover Dam
