Douglas E. Arnold

Mankind's Ultimate Dilemma Douglas E. Arnold

Mankind and societies throughout our planet during the next 100 years to well before the year 2400 are going to be faced with problems and impact events on a scale and magnitude never before experienced by the human race. Changes underway now regarding the environment, global temperature rise, glacial and polar ice melts, a 25-foot minimum rise in ocean mean tide levels, worldwide coastal flooding, erosion and permanent loss of arid cultivatable land, increased volcanic and earthquake activity, changing weather patterns, more violent storms, tornadoes and hurricanes, food and freshwater resource limitations, a world population of over 30 billion people within 200 years (currently 6.5 billion) and no way possible to feed that many. These are just a few of the problems mankind everywhere will start to face before the end of the 21st Century. The economic, financial, and societal impacts will be tremendous, let alone health, sanitation, transportation, energy requirements, housing, employment, and other services will all be considerably affected. By the year 2050, 88% of the world's population (12 to 13 billion people) will be living in the undeveloped and developing countries. Food riots, public disorder, wars over water and fishing rights will occur causing many governments to collapse, stressing others to their limits, which will only get worse in the years beyond. What needs to be done by the world leaders, governments, and the UN, all taking a more proactive role in solving these problems and issues beginning now before the solution options left necessitate severe and drastic measures is provided. We'll also visit our solar system, the Milky Way Galaxy, other galaxies and the universe itself in learning about what current dynamic events are happening and what the future holds for each. (Ex: The entire universe is presently expanding at an accelerating rate!)