Surviving 1000 Centuries

This full color book provides a quantitative view of our civilization over the next 100,000 years. The authors present the dangers and stress the importance of taking decisions in the 21st century to ensure the long-term survival of people on Earth.

The circumstances that will shape the long-term future of our planet will be constrained by what is physically possible and what is not. This full color book provides a quantitative view of our civilization over the next 100,000 years, in comparison to the 40-60,000 years it took for modern humans to emerge from Africa, on the basis of contemporary scientific and technological knowledge. The evolution of the Earth's atmosphere and the origin of water are highlighted as the most important factors for the emergence and the development of life.

The authors consider both cosmic and natural hazards, pointing out that scientific information provided by satellites and communication systems on the ground could prevent many unnecessary casualties by forward planning and the installation of elementary precautions. The Earth's evolving climate is considered, showing how greenhouse gases have played an important role in the past climate, whereas human industrial and agricultural emissions will greatly impact our future.

Reviews the physical conditions for survival of life on Earth over the next 1000 centuries Analyses the interacting factors affecting the sustainability of Earth's natural resources Stresses the need for active management of Earth's resources in the 21st century to ensure long-term survival Highlights the influence of observations from space on the technical, scientific and political tools for survivability

Autorentext

Dr. Parmar obtained his PhD in X-ray astronomy in 1981 from MSSL, University College London (UCL). He joined ESA in 1982 to work on the EXOSAT mission before becoming the study and project scientist and instrument and mission manager for a number of high-energy astronomy missions. In 2009 he became Head of ESA's Astronomy Science Operations Division. Between 2012 and 2020 he was the ESA Coordinator for Astronomy and Fundamental Physics. From 2013-2020 he combined this position with being the Head of the ESA Science Support Office, which is the home of ESA's Science Directorate study and project scientists. In 2020, he retired from ESA. In 2023 he was awarded an honorary professorship at UCL and in 2024 he became the treasurer of the Royal Astronomical Society. He has 408 scientific publications of which 181 are peer reviewed with 13,400 citations.

Inhalt
A Brief History of the Earth.- Cosmic Menaces.- Terrestrial Hazards.- The Changing Climate.- Climate Futures.- The Future of Survivability: Energy and Inorganic Resources.- The Future of Survivability: Water and Organic Resources.- Leaving Earth: From Dreams to Reality?.- Managing the Planet's Future: The Crucial Role of Space.- Managing the Planet's Future: Setting-Up the Structures.- Conclusion.