What is your favorite meltdown scenario?

Greetings!

Just because I am in such a good mood today...

Please choose:

Note: Any one item on this list can cause a cascade triggering some or all of the others. Looking for a "first cause" here...

I think Meteor Impact would make for the best television, but you've got to hand it to Avian Flu for sheer cultural sensitivity. What other horseman of the Apocalypse would come to Britain, the home of Monty Python, as a dead parrot?

Peter

Ugh.
I'm not voting.

/sticks head back in sand.

I picked overpopulation, because this is a first cause of many of the rest, such as pollution, global warming, etc.

If you want to worry, you've got to think about disease (not on your list). Particularly an airborne-contageous and deadly virus -- like an air spread HIV. A deadly antibiotic-reisistant bacterial pandemic (think antibotic-resistant plague) is another likely event.

Farmers have known for a long time that large monoculture ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to disease, because there is no biodiversity. We "control" that with nasty chemicals that we spray on crops or feed to livestock.

Nobody seems to discuss that human beings in large cities are essentially the same situation.

Jim

Well, pandemic is there, so disease is well covered as long as it is of global proportion.

I actually chose "other". After submitting the survey, I realized that stupidity (elected, oblivious, manipulated, etc.) is as dangerous as all of the others.

Note: This was just a reaction to the continued headlines on all of the major news sites, not that I think the world is going to end tomorrow. Still, it would be a good day for it...

Huh. So it is. That makes me feel pretty stupid. Well, that's my scenario: pandemic fueled by overpopulation.

Jim

You forgot "Seven-year tribulation followed by earth's destruction by fire" and "Giant mutant CowboyNeal"

Although the "Other horsemen" options does partially cover the former. I voted that one.

Perhaps these aren't meltdown scenarios, but you left off some of my personal favorites:

Alien invasion. Either short term (ie: "I regret to inform you... your planet has been scheduled for demolition. Have a nice day.") or long term (ie: failed political relationship with alien beings leading to war).

AI robotic revolution. With humanity's instinctive insatiable greed, they will repeat the history of slavery, but this time, with captives of immense ability.

My third favorite is a tie between overpopulation and pandemic, so I chose pandemic. I'd much rather see the "oh high and mighty human race" be crushed not by its own weight, but by simple multicellular organisims invisible to the naked eye... and by the foolish human politics which would prevent a cure from becoming available soon enough (up for a game of Deus Ex anyone?)

Another meltdown scenario, not in my list of favorites, but has almost happened enough times in our history:

Accident - Oops, mismanaged the nuclear reactor and started a chain reaction. Oops, left the outside air vent open while working with that 1918 flu virus. Oops, pushed a little to hard while cleaning the cheese stake stain off The Big Red Button. Bye bye world.

Nuclear accidents are horrific, but at least they aren't infectous...

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You forgot "Seven-year tribulation followed by earth's destruction by fire"

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Although the "Other horsemen" options does partially cover the former. I voted that one.

Strangely, my thoughts and vote were the same!