What would it mean if 10-20% of humanity died in the next five years.

Dazed and confused

In early February, 180,000 had already been hospitalized for influenza in 2020.

It is still unlikely that the coronavirus will ever rise to that level. It is deadly for the elderly and those with weak or compromised immune systems.

The world is freaking out, especially n the United States. But this is not much less a problem than viruses of the last fifteen years—the fact that there is no vaccine yet is the medical issue, and most of the damage done will be economic.

It’s not more serious than we were told. What news organizations are you listening to? The reports I’ve been watching have been showing death tolls in China, quarantines in many parts of the world, I don’t know what you are taking about.

10–20% is huge, and unimaginable in my mind. Since COVID-19 mostly kills older people, I guess the world could get through it without too much trauma, unlike the Spanish flu (which was not anywhere near killing 20% of the population) that killed young adults primarily.

Much easier to get Red Sox tickets at Fenway.

The weak will die off and the strong will survive.

I guess no one will have to worry about paying for all the Boomers that have been forecasted to bankrupt us as they age.

At different points in history, Mother Earth shook us off, and we come on back to keep destroying her, so que sera sera.

We will make it. Humans, are kind of like a virus. We adapt/mutate, and keep going.

I have been a witness, and unwilling part, of acts of nature. We pull our selves up, and rebuild. We are stronger than the forces, trying to kill us.

Regardless of the scenario, our species will survive.

We have survived worse, with far less technology.

Time for my quote, that another person wrote.

“What man can contemplate, man will achieve.”

For Kritiper, it would mean a good start, but with 80% more to go. ;-o

It would mean that the population of the Earth would level off later than (approximately) the end of this century. (Projected to be about 11 billion at that time, by UN estimates.)

Yes, IMHO, the Earth would be better off without humans. We are a plague, a pestilence, a cancer.

A 10% loss is the true definition of decimation (a word that’s often misused). The outcome is devastating.

I think this might give perspective.

There are communities that experienced decimation like this to use @Love_my_doggie’s word resonantly recently. 30% of the Jewish population world wide was killed in the holocaust. In some countries, like Poland, 90% of Jews were killed. In Germany, many Jews were woven into society, it’s not like they all were in Jewish ghettos. They were in various parts of society all levels.

In terms of emotional impact, people who lived through this genocide in their villages are scarred forever by it. Even those who were not Jewish, but saw their neighbors rounded up and taken away or killed. Not to forget over 3 million non-Jews were terminated/exterminated also. Over 9 million people in Europe killed by genocide and even more dead if you include soldiers fighting the war. Think about 9/11, that was around 3,000. Nothing relatively speaking. Americans generally have no clue what that type of loss is like unless they have served in combat.

If it’s worldwide it would affect everything. Not only an emotional impact, but people finding the cure for cancer might be killed, or working on peace between countries, it would be completely discombobulating, catastrophic on many levels.

@JLeslie Maybe it would help them appreciate and value life more than they do now. I guess I see the glass half full at this point, it’s pretty sickening right now with all the drugs od’s, late abortions and suicide’s.

It would mean that life continues on as it always does, we survive the best way we know how.

@KNOWITALL Regarding the drug OD’s some families and communities experience drug and alcohol deaths so much that it is like a type of holocaust. It’s very sad. Within the last year I lost a best friend and a friend’s sister died as well related to alcoholism. It’s very traumatic.

Late term abortions, I just don’t know how many are done when the baby would not survive anyway. Almost everyone I know personally who had a mid to late term abortion the baby would not survive when born. Everyone I know who aborted late term wanted their baby. I do know a few people who aborted late because of genetic defects, like down’s syndrome, and as far as I know their babies would have survived, possibly they would have needed some sort of surgery, like many babies with down’s syndrome do. I generally am against abortions after 5.5 months, and the law basically is in line with that. I am not sure what month you are using to mean late? We usually know if something is wrong with the baby by 5 months, thankfully, advances are getting better and better for early diagnosis. I know we don’t agree on abortion, but I didn’t want to ignore you comment.

I also realize that for people who are pro-life each abortion is like a death, like a genocide, so I respect that point of view, even though I don’t fully agree with it. I do understand why people feel that was though.

Suicide also, it is very sad. When someone is terminal or in chronic horrible pain I understand it, but suicide due to loneliness, despair, trauma, and life just being so difficult it is too much for someone to bear is a terrible tragedy that we must work to change. It is heartbreaking, and quite honestly terrifying to imagine it for myself. I know many people where I live with no children who at least in part moved here because of the social interaction and support systems encouraging friendships in later life. Also, sending out military into combat changes that entire group of men and women and their families. Not all are affected the same way, but so many have negative psychological effects. Very sad.

@JLeslie As you say, all those together create a lot of death, and along with mass shootings, etc…. I would welcome a change to the appreciation of life in our disposable society.

War. Now that, is definitely a tragedy. I guess I put genocide, in the same category.

When you add the lives lost/changed, and the amount of money spent on it, it is the worst thing that we face.

You could say, humanity is our own worst enemy. Violence is only necessary, to undo other violence.

Are you kidding, 30,000 people starve to death every single day and nobody even notices. A few thousand people die of a virus over a few month period and everybody panics.

What are you talking about @YARNLADY? The guy is talking about between 800 million and 2.4 billion people.

Oh, I see, not referring to the current epidemic.

I don’t know. Are they all in one place, all old, all young, all criminals, all Keebler elves, or more like an even distribution of death?

Which 20%? Do I get to choose who survives?