A scientist has made the shocking claim that there’s a 49% chance the world will end in just 25 years. Jared Diamond, American scientist and historian, predicted civilisation could collapse by 2050. He told Intelligencer: “I would estimate the chances are about 49% that the world as we know it will collapse by about 2050.”

Diamond explained that fisheries and farms across the globe are being “managed unsustainably”, causing resources to be depleted at an alarming rate. He added: "At the rate we’re going now, resources that are essential for complex societies are being managed unsustainably. Fisheries around the world, most fisheries are being managed unsustainably, and they’re getting depleted.

“Farms around the world, most farms are being managed unsustainably. Soil, topsoil around the world. Fresh water around the world is being managed unsustainably.”

The Pulitzer Prize winning author warned that we must come up with more sustainable practices by 2050, “or it’ll be too late”.

    • tehn00bi@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      To be fair though, he’s been writing on this topic for nearly 20 years. His book collapse is still one of the best history books I’ve read.

      • Professorozone@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        So he’s been writing on the topic for 20 years and twenty years ago he predicted that the world would collapse in 45 years?

        • tehn00bi@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          Kind of. Definitely said that if we continue to degrade local climates, we could face massive risks to population centers.

    • CuffsOffWilly@lemmy.ml
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      13 hours ago

      I was thinking the same thing so I looked him up and he has a BSc in biochemical science (Harvard) and a PhD from Cambridge in biophysics of the gallbladder. Colour me shocked. Still, kind of stepping outside his zone of expertise on this grand statement.