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Mount St. Helens (in Washington state) had a massive eruption in 1980, causing huge ecological and economic damage that lasted for years.[1] But, the region re

Mount St. Helens (in Washington state) had a massive eruption in 1980, causing huge ecological and economic damage that lasted for years.[1] But, the region recovered. Similar such natural events, such as Typhoon Maria, have caused massive casualties and damage. Yet, the Earth and humanity have persisted. I wouldn't worry about anything happening to our planet and our ecosphere, short of a mass extinction event like a huge asteroid striking the Earth. The last one 65 million years ago did some pretty nasty damage, but we now have the technology to detect and divert such objects so hopefully it will not be an issue. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Hel...

ygjb 6y ago
> we now have the technology to detect and divert such objects so hopefully it will not be an issue. Citations needed for that overly broad claim, because Armageddon was not a documentary.
- blisterpeanuts 6y ago
  Nasa's Sentry system, for one. https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/ https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/ Nasa's also planning to launch the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission, an orbital telescope designed to detect NEO's with more accuracy than ground-based systems. https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1250770/asteroid-detection-news-how-astronomers-track-asteroid-space-nasa-news https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1250770/asteroid-dete... And ESA (Europe space agency) is building a spacecraft designed to nudge NEO's out of their path. https://arynews.tv/en/esa-asteroid-defence-mission/ https://arynews.tv/en/esa-asteroid-defence-mission/
sp332 6y ago
"the region recovered" Yeah, because the volcano stopped erupting. This current disaster is not short-term.
- blisterpeanuts 6y ago
  You mean the forest fires? Depending on the region, they'll abate either from human intervention or seasonal snow/rain, or a combination.
  - redisman 6y ago
    Until the next year or two when they come back again bigger from a unseasonably warm summer and unseasonably wet winter which grows even more fuel. And then again and then again and then again, growing worse each time until the forest doesn't grow back again at some point.
    - gnusty_gnurc 6y ago
      > until the forest doesn't grow back again at some point gotta love this doom-obsessed gedankenexperiment
      - redisman 6y ago
        https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/08/25/forests-scorched-wildfire-unlikely-recover-may-convert-grasslands https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/08/25/forests-scorched-w... > Even 15 years post-fire, as many as 80% of the plots the researchers surveyed still contained no new trees.

ygjb 6y ago

> we now have the technology to detect and divert such objects so hopefully it will not be an issue. Citations needed for that overly broad claim, because Armageddon was not a documentary.

blisterpeanuts 6y ago
Nasa's Sentry system, for one. https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/ https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/ Nasa's also planning to launch the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission, an orbital telescope designed to detect NEO's with more accuracy than ground-based systems. https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1250770/asteroid-detection-news-how-astronomers-track-asteroid-space-nasa-news https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1250770/asteroid-dete... And ESA (Europe space agency) is building a spacecraft designed to nudge NEO's out of their path. https://arynews.tv/en/esa-asteroid-defence-mission/ https://arynews.tv/en/esa-asteroid-defence-mission/

sp332 6y ago

"the region recovered" Yeah, because the volcano stopped erupting. This current disaster is not short-term.

blisterpeanuts 6y ago
You mean the forest fires? Depending on the region, they'll abate either from human intervention or seasonal snow/rain, or a combination.
- redisman 6y ago
  Until the next year or two when they come back again bigger from a unseasonably warm summer and unseasonably wet winter which grows even more fuel. And then again and then again and then again, growing worse each time until the forest doesn't grow back again at some point.
  - gnusty_gnurc 6y ago
    > until the forest doesn't grow back again at some point gotta love this doom-obsessed gedankenexperiment
    - redisman 6y ago
      https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/08/25/forests-scorched-wildfire-unlikely-recover-may-convert-grasslands https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/08/25/forests-scorched-w... > Even 15 years post-fire, as many as 80% of the plots the researchers surveyed still contained no new trees.