READ: Commentary: The Philippines hopes lockdown buys time after half-hearted attempts at tackling COVID-19The improvements of the past 200 years are the fruits of industrialisation, made possible by our acquisition of knowledge and mastery of technology. But this process involved trade-offs.
And, of course, the early industrial age encouraged slavery and the quest for access to natural resources, which led to massive wars and brutal forms of imperialist rule. Though nuclear technology has many peaceful applications , its most important consequence has been to inaugurate an era of mutually assured destruction.
Though no one can deny these risks, most people’s first instinct is to discount steeply the likelihood of a catastrophic scenario. But this is misguided.During the twentieth century, the world came close to nuclear war on multiple occasions. Because we were lucky, we now assume retrospectively that the risk was never as high as it seemed.
Delegates and experts attend the 45th Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change opening ceremony in Guadalajara, Mexico on Mar 28, 2017.