The British physicist Stephen Hawking He was always ahead in his analysis. And so it was also when, years ago, he made a projection about the fate of the planetary system and a possible self-destruction of humanity. During a scientific conference in Beijing, he described the risks linked to the progress of civilization and the consumption of natural resources at an annual technology forum.

The scientist established that The world will end in the year 2600. Humanity has less than six centuries to ensure its permanence through space colonization. Hawking had participated in the Tencent WE Summit via videoconference from Great Britain.

“By the year 2600, the world’s population will be shoulder to shoulder and the Electricity consumption will make the Earth glow red hot“, he had pointed out. Overpopulation represents the main driver of this degradation process.

The number of inhabitants on the planet doubled every four decades and this constant progression will lead to unsustainable energy consumption. The resulting heat will transform the ground into a ball of fire incandescent over the course of the next 600 years.

The author of the book “Brief History of Time” detailed the climate threats in the documentary of the BBC titled Stephen Hawking: Expedition New Earth. He pointed out that civilization is passing through a critical point: global warming will reach irreversible levels if human activity maintains its current pace.

Hawking projected that Earth’s climate will become similar to that of Venus. The surface will register temperatures close to 250 degrees Celsius and the clouds will generate permanent sulfuric acid precipitation. People’s inherent ambition makes it difficult to implement effective measures against climate change.

The scientist stressed that the Earth has a limited support capacity. Exponential population growth collides with the physical limits of the natural environment. The total extinction of living beings It constitutes a statistical certainty within a period of one thousand to ten thousand years if radical changes do not occur in social organization.

In his opinion, the salvation of people lies in the transformation into a multiplanetary species capable of inhabiting other solar systems. Hawking recommended emulating the expeditions from the television series Star Trek. Technological development requires prioritizing travel at the speed of light to reach remote corners of the cosmos. The astrophysicist supported the initiative Breakthrough Starshot.

This program searches explore Alpha Centaurithe closest star system with habitability potential. The plan consists of launching a nanoship powered by light beams. The vehicle will reach Mars in less than an hour. The journey to Pluto will require just a few days of navigation. The probe will exceed the distance traveled by Voyager in a week. The journey to the new planetary system will take approximately 20 years.

Hawking requested an investment of one hundred million dollars to finance these advances. The physicist was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 21 and dedicated his career to the study of black holes. The exploration of other worlds offers the only way to avoid definitive disappearance in the face of the energy and demographic crisis.

This content was produced by a LA NACION team with the assistance of AI.