Global warming is a real existential threat to humanity. However, while we face this and attempt to reel in our use of fossil fuels, a new study posits alien civilizations are likely doing the same.
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00:00Global warming is a real existential threat to humanity.
00:07And while we face this and attempt to reel in our use of burned fuels, a new study posits
00:11alien civilizations could be going through the same thing.
00:15Since the industrial revolution, our planet has been warming at an accelerated rate, with
00:20scientists saying the speed has tripled in just the last few decades.
00:22However, the new analysis outlines that even if an alien civilization was more careful
00:27than us and used less toxic energy sources, they would eventually be in the same boat
00:31anyways.
00:32That's because, as we know it, energy means heat, and as our population grows, our reliance
00:37on more and more energy does, as well.
00:39With one of the authors telling Universe Today that current waste is minimal, though they
00:43add, quote, however, if heat production proceeds on an exponential trajectory for the next
00:48century, a further 1.8 degree Fahrenheit rise in temperature may stem from waste heat, independent
00:53of any enhanced greenhouse effect because of fossil fuels.
00:56So what would that mean for an alien species?
00:58Well, once they get to the point of being a civilization living in a post-industrial
01:02world, the researchers' calculations point to a 1,000-year timeline before exponential
01:07population growth and the accompanying waste heat put them in the same situation as us,
01:12though they add other species might employ super-advanced technology like solar shielding
01:17or relocate their civilizations altogether.