“The end is near” is the typical jinx motto that recurs from time to time over the years. Yet there are some events that could really change the face of the planet.
"Apocalyptic scenarios" are those events from which total destruction or serious changes arise.
The word “Apocalypse” comes from the Greek word meaning “revelation”. Over time it has become increasingly associated with the end times for every civilization.
Here are some doomsday scenarios for which governments around the world are preparing contingency plans.
Global warming out of control
Some states have plans to deal with the worst possible developments in global warming. For obvious reasons, it is often the authorities of coastal places or islands that prepare emergency measures in the event of sea level rise and other doomsday scenarios linked to a crazy temperature.
Kiribati it is a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is already almost "on the surface of the water", and any rise in the sea level would completely submerge it.
Kiribati's plans have rather pragmatic points, and include thepurchase of land from neighboring Fiji Islands to relocate its 100.000 inhabitants if things go wrong.
The Maldives are also in grave danger. On the eve of the UN Climate Conference in 2009, the then President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed organized a meeting to point out the imminent danger and seek solutions.
Fall of the United States of America
The collapse of a sophisticated society like that of the USA would have very serious consequences for the planet, and mainly for American citizens.
A very serious economic crisis, a famine, a civil war, a pandemic or other collateral causes. All are highly regarded by different world governments, and the US has a contingency plan for each of these doomsday scenarios.
In his 2012 book, the senator Jim DeMint wrote (probably influenced by the still recent collapse of Lehmann Brothers) “We are in serious danger and very close to economic collapse. This is not hyperbole. Americans have never been closer to losing all the freedom, prosperity and opportunity that generations of soldiers have fought and died for for decades.”
The US state of Wyoming in February of that year he attempted to pass a framework law to deal with the eventuality. His name was right “Doomsday Bill”, and included plans to be implemented in the event of the collapse of the Federal Government.
In the end it was not approved. The majority believed it contained subversive elements towards the central government, but contained interesting solutions. From the development of a Wyoming coin to that of a completely autonomous food and production chain.
Collapse of technology
Another serious problem in a modern world would be a technological breakdown. We have a huge dependence on electronic devices in almost all aspects of our economy and our daily life.
It's a potential Achilles' heel that exposes us to enormous risks, from a cyber terrorism attack to a solar storm that instantly wipes out all our electronics.
In 2010, a plan was produced to predict the consequences of all apocalyptic scenarios linked to this eventuality. It contained detailed answers to a wide range of cases: collapse of the cell phone network due to a global computer virus, collapse of the electricity grid, collapse of air control systems, and so on.
Impact with an asteroid
NASA and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have begun working with space agencies around the world to develop plans in the event of a large asteroid impacting Earth.
With the collaboration of ESA, the European Space Agency, and the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) simulations were also carried out to evaluate the effects of such an event.
Lindley Johnson, of NASA's Planetary Defense Department, issued a press release. Among other things he said “Drafting these plans has really helped us understand how our colleagues around the world would react to such a catastrophic event, and how we can better coordinate efforts to try to manage it.”
Zombie apocalypse
Could it be missing? Believe it or not, some governments really do have a contingency plan to deal with something like this.
Il Center for Outbreak Control in the US he also posted survival tips and techniques for this eventuality.
These are obvious paroxysms, but modeling a plan on such paradoxical situations is a formidable test bed for devising solutions to more realistic emergencies such as a hurricane.
Reading how to escape a horde of Zombies actually gives us valuable information about finding shelter, storing food, and staying safe in the event of disasters of all kinds.
“If you're prepared for a Zombie apocalypse, you can face anything,” stresses Dave daigle, spokesperson for the American body that drew up the plan, which among other things is written in a very pleasant way without disdaining humor.
