The document lists several potential global "megaproblems", including climate change, population growth, resource shortages, poverty, violence, disease, and technological developments. It notes that problems like climate change, poverty, and violent cities are likely to occur due to human activities that damage the environment and lead to social issues. However, some problems may be less severe thanks to advances in areas like medicine that could prevent pandemics. Overall, failing to address issues like global warming, poverty, and conflicts between nations could allow problems to escalate and potentially threaten civilization.

1. By: Group 2
MEGAPROBLEMS

3. Global warming results in severe
climate change. It will upset the basic
control mechanisms of planet Earth.
5

4. Excessive population growth results in
8.9 billion people, with an overwhelming
demand for consumer goods and carbon-
based energy, more than what the
Mother Earth can contain.
3

5. Water shortages. Farmers will not have
the water essential for food growing.
There will be chaos over water.
3

6. Destruction of life in the
oceans.
4

7. Mass famine in ill-organized countries
results in the high cost of grains which
harms the Third World.
4

8. The spread of deserts soil is being
eroded. Barren lands are spreading in
areas that used to have good soil and
grassland.
2

9. Infectious pandemics could spread at
unstoppable rates, as they have in the
past, but now with the capability to kill
enormous number of people.
2

10. Extreme poverty. Two to three billion
people live in extreme poverty, with
lack of sanitation.
5

11. Growth of shanty cities with extreme
violence and poverty are growing in
many parts of the world.
5

12. Unstoppable global
migrations
2

13. Non-state with extreme weapons. Nuclear
or biological weapons are becoming
easier to build by terrorist organizations,
political groups or individuals, who are
not acting for a given state.
4

14. Violent religious extremism results in
large number of suicide terrorists, and
religious war between Muslims and
Christians.
4

15. Runaway computer intelligence results
in machines becoming more intelligent
at electronic speed.
5

16. War that could end civilization results
in today’s vast number of nuclear
weapons and new biological weapons
which could end civilization.
5

17. Risks of homo sapien’s existence lead to
wiping out homo sapiens. The
combination of risks gives a relatively
high probability of not surviving the
century.

18. New Dark Age to intolerable poverty and
outrageous wealth, starvation, mass
terrorism with nuclear/biological weapons,
world war, deliberate pandemics and
religious insanity may espouse the
worldwide pattern of unending hatred and
violence.
5

20. 1. In the list of
megaproblems, which do
you think are most likely
to happen? Which are
not?

21. Global warming results in severe climate change. It will upset the basic control
mechanisms of planet Earth.
Extreme poverty. Two to three billion people live in extreme poverty, with lack
of sanitation.
Growth of shanty cities with extreme violence and poverty are growing in
many parts of the world.
Runaway computer intelligence results in machines becoming more intelligent
at electronic speed.
 War that could end civilization results in today’s vast number of nuclear
weapons and new biological weapons which could end civilization.
New Dark Age to intolerable poverty and outrageous wealth, starvation, mass
terrorism with nuclear/biological weapons, world war, deliberate pandemics
and religious insanity may espouse the worldwide pattern of unending hatred
and violence.

22. The spread of deserts soil is being eroded. Barren lands are spreading in
areas that used to have good soil and grassland.
Infectious pandemics could spread at unstoppable rates, as they have in the
past, but now with the capability to kill enormous number of people.
Unstoppable global migrations

23. 2. What are the possible
consequences if those
will happen?

24. Global warming results in severe climate change. It will upset the basic
control mechanisms of planet Earth.
Water shortage
Agricultural damage or drought
Diseases
People irritability or state of being uncomfortable
Extreme poverty. Two to three billion people live in extreme poverty, with
lack of sanitation.
 Starvation
 People are force to do illegal jobs
 Discrimination or inequality
 Homeless

25. Growth of shanty cities with extreme violence and poverty are growing in
many parts of the world.
Many are abused and killed even though they are
innocent.
Continually spreading crimes
Runaway computer intelligence results in machines becoming more
intelligent at electronic speed.
More hi-tech inventions to come
Making life easier but will lead to laziness
It improves the quality of all fields such as
business, entertainment and medicine because all of
them use computer for more efficient results.

26. War that could end civilization results in today’s vast number of nuclear
weapons and new biological weapons which could end civilization.
World War III
Billions of death
New civilization and another beginning
Complete damage in the environment
New Dark Age to intolerable poverty and outrageous wealth, starvation, mass terrorism
with nuclear/biological weapons, world war, deliberate pandemics and religious
insanity may espouse the worldwide pattern of unending hatred and violence.
 Extreme violence and brutality
 Millions of death
 Injustices
 Unending
 Only the powerful ones will lead the world
 Complete damage in the environment
 Extinction of many species

27. 3. Why do you think
those would happen?
Why not?

29. The spread of deserts soil is being eroded. Barren lands are spreading in
areas that used to have good soil and grassland.
 Not all countries are mainly affected because not all have deserts soil and barren land and
only for countries that are particularly have it. Due to improving agriculture it can also be
avoided easily.
Infectious pandemics could spread at unstoppable rates, as they have in
the past, but now with the capability to kill enormous number of people.
 Because of developed medication in today’s world such infectious pandemics can be avoided.
There are already many experimentation done by excellent doctors and not just like in the
past years which there are still few discoveries regarding medicines that healed such
diseases. Only few infectious pandemics remain unmedicated such as HIV/AIDS but the
field of medicine is continually developing anyway.

30. Unstoppable global migrations
 Certain countries especially the rich and developed ones, migrations are not widely
committed because there are already many excellent job opportunities in their country. It is
only done by countries which job opportunities are lacking and need to migrate to look for
it. Poor people are also can’t migrate due to high cost of fair and many other expenses for
the processing.

32. Global warming results in severe climate change. It will upset the basic
control mechanisms of planet Earth.
 Humans continue to destroy their own planet by deforestation, excessive logging, improper
waste disposal and pollution brought by chemicals without thinking of its negative
consequences. These can particularly lead to global warming or the continually rising of
temperature.
Extreme poverty. Two to three billion people live in extreme poverty, with
lack of sanitation.
 The high number of unemployment due to lack of education and courage is the reason why
poverty cannot be killed and even became more extreme throughout the years.

33. Growth of shanty cities with extreme violence and poverty are growing in
many parts of the world.
 Due to extreme poverty many people are force to do illegal jobs such as murdering,
trafficking illegal drugs, stealing, prostitution and other wrong deeds. These will definitely
lead to extreme violence and many people and even innocent ones are being the victims.
Runaway computer intelligence results in machines becoming more
intelligent at electronic speed.
 In today’s world it is continually becoming more technological because of brilliant
inventions of many people. Technology is improving to the extent and it is expected that
there are still many inventions to come that can change the everyday lives of the
humankind.

34. War that could end civilization results in today’s vast number of nuclear
weapons and new biological weapons which could end civilization.
 Many powerful countries such as USA, Korea, China and Japan are continually developing
nuclear weapons and new biological weapons as a great defense. It is true that those
countries has a big conflict to each other due to certain issues and if the conflict continue
grow it can lead to war or even the World War III. During war, vast numbers of weapons are
being exploded and there is possibility that it will bomb the whole civilization.

35. New Dark Age to intolerable poverty and outrageous wealth, starvation, mass
terrorism with nuclear/biological weapons, world war, deliberate pandemics
and religious insanity may espouse the worldwide pattern of unending hatred
and violence.
 It is the summary of all situations that are rated from 4-5 except the deliberate pandemics.
Hatred and violence are drowning the world which brining many negative situations that
are mentioned above. If hatred and violence will be replace by peace and love it will be a
better a better place to live in and the world will be healed