Man Made Disasters

The world could end at any moment thanks to the countless number nukes out there.  According to a 2010 Ploughshares Fund report, 22,000 active nuclear warheads are scattered around the globe.  This means, one political conflict that keeps escalating could result in the end of modern civilization as we know it.

One nuclear blast followed by another and so on, has the potential to kill a great number of the worlds population. This scenario is particularly frightening when you take into account the number of countries that have nuclear capabilities, and are not in friendly unions with the United States.

What was once the stuff of fiction made popular by the Terminator movie franchise, is becoming more and more a reality we could face one day, a Robot/Cyborg takeover.

Computers are becoming faster and smarter on a daily basis. Millions of dollars are spent each year to further research into Artificial Intelligence (AI), with the end goal of having a computer actually think for itself.  While this sounds like a great idea that has many benefits to mankind, there are also many implications that could arise.

Most of the spending and research for AI is done at the military level. Imagine planes that could fly themselves, chose targets, and then engage those targets with munitions, all with no risk of life to the planes host country. Now this is where it gets a bit tricky. Computers can calculate hundreds of thousands of calculations per second.  If one drone with true AI happens to “think” that its host country in now a threat, what’s to stop that drone from attacking? What if the drone was equipped with nuclear weapons? Or, what if a drone decides to attack a country that is an ally? Such actions could trigger a war.

With the prolific use of fossil fuels in the 20th century and forward, global warming is becoming a serious issue, that could have devastating consequences if left unchecked.  With the rise in temperature global warming will have some deadly effects, including:

• More hurricanes caused by warmer water temperatures
• Increased probability of long term droughts, leading to crop failures and food shortages
• Spread of disease to countries where warmer weather is not the norm.
• Polar ice caps melting resulting in increased ocean levels. It has been estimated that the ocean levels have increased 4-8 inches over the last century
• Wildfires caused by extreme drought
• Increased volcanic activity
• Wars caused by mass migration.
• Famine
• Animal extinction

World War 3 is thought to be the end all war. Many people theorize billions of people will die and in extreme cases could lead to the end of humanity as we know it.  With the advent of nuclear and biological weapons, large spread death and destruction is almost certain.

Anything could trigger the next world war, Middle East conflict, an oil crisis, terrorism, Iran, North Korea, China, or it could even be one of our current “allies”.

What ever the case, make sure you are ready with shelter and supplies. Who knows it may be up to you to save mankind from the brink of extinction.

“Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare.  Chemical warfare does not depend upon explosive force to achieve an objective. Rather it depends upon the unique properties of the chemical agent weaponized. A lethal agent is designed to injure or incapacitate the enemy.  It can also be used against agriculture and livestock to promote hunger and starvation.”

Many nations possess vast stockpiles of weaponized agents in preparation for wartime use, although a number of international treaties have banned the development, production, and stockpiling of chemical weapons, reportedly, many nations still have developmental programs.

Within the last decade, terrorists deployed chemical weapons against civilian populations for the first time in history. The release of sarin in Matsumoto, Japan, in June 1994 by the extremist Aum Shinrikyo cult left 7 dead and 280 injured. The following year, the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin vapor in the Tokyo subway system during morning rush hour, leaving 12 dead and sending more than 5,000 casualties to local hospitals.  While these were small scale attacks the potential for larger attacks is something to worry about.

Check out our pages on survival lists to ensure you aren’t caught unprepared.

Biological or germ warfare, is the use of “biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with the intent to kill or incapacitate humans, or plants as an act of war.”  In other words it means deliberately spreading infectious diseases or toxins to sicken and kill people, plants, and animals.

Biological weapons can be deployed a number of ways such as, bombs, water supply contamination, and food contamination.  Many governments have developed biological weapons for a variety of reasons. There are agents designed specifically to harm living organisms, or to destroy crops, leading to famine.  Using bio agents is tactful in that it causes widespread panic, alarm, and destruction.

There are steps you can take to ensure you are ready if a biological war is started. Having a plan with the right emergency supplies could possibly make the difference between you and your families survival.