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The ozone layer prevents harmful wavelengths of ultraviolet (UVB) light from passing through the Earth's atmosphere. These wavelengths cause skin cancer , sunburn , permanent blindness, and cataracts , [ 178 ] which were projected to increase dramatically as a result of thinning ozone, as well as harming plants and animals.
A high obliquity would probably result in dramatic changes in the climate and may destroy the planet's habitability. [41] When the axial tilt of the Earth exceeds 54°, the yearly insolation at the equator is less than that at the poles. The planet could remain at an obliquity of 60° to 90° for periods as long as 10 million years.
While extinction is the most obvious way in which humanity's long-term potential could be destroyed, there are others, including unrecoverable collapse and unrecoverable dystopia. [18] A disaster severe enough to cause the permanent, irreversible collapse of human civilisation would constitute an existential catastrophe, even if it fell short ...
Lay people were cautious about a depletion of the ozone layer and the risks of skin cancer. Satellites burning up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere produce aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3) nanoparticles that endure in the atmosphere for decades. [19] Estimates for 2022 alone were ~17 metric tons (~30 kg of nanoparticles per ~250 kg satellite). [19]
Extremely low frequency EM waves can span from 0 Hz to 3 kHz, though definitions vary across disciplines. The maximum recommended exposure for the general public is 5 kV/m. [20] ELF waves around 50 Hz to 60 Hz are emitted by power generators, transmission lines and distribution lines, power cables, and electric appliances. Typical household ...
If Mercury or a rogue planet of similar size were to collide with Earth, all life on Earth could be obliterated entirely: an asteroid 15 km wide is believed to have caused the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, whereas Mercury is 4,879 km in diameter. [136] The destabilization of Mercury's orbit is unlikely in the foreseeable future. [137]
The global population drop is already in motion. An economist believes the diminishing birth rate will have a detrimental impact on labor supply.
The ozone hole was much more seen as a "hot issue" and imminent risk compared to global climate change, [13] as lay people feared a depletion of the ozone layer (ozone shield) risked increasing severe consequences such as skin cancer, cataracts, [23] damage to plants, and reduction of plankton populations in the ocean's photic zone. This was ...