Poll: Nearly half feel we are nearing the end of the world

In a KIRO Newsradio Twitter poll, almost half of all participants feel we are nearing the end of the world. More than half think the apocalypse is centuries away.

Hosts Spike O’Neill and Jack Stine on KIRO Newsradio were more optimistic and felt we will figure out how to save the planet.

How close do you think we are to the end of the world as we know it?

A group of Atomic Scientists says we are “at a time of unprecedented danger,” and @GeeScottSr agrees.

— KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM🎙 (@KIRONewsradio) January 25, 2023

A group of Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock annually. We are now closer to the end of the world than we have been since the clock began.

“I tend to think that most human beings, although we are selfish and self-serving, share one key factor, which is self-preservation for the most part, unless you are wildly, wildly psychotic,” Stine said. “And even in those cases, people still have that. So when people were telling me Vladimir Putin is a madman, he’s going to blow us all up, I thought to myself, Vladimir Putin’s got kids, Vladimir Putin’s got grandkids. Why would he want to do that? Why would he want to nuclear bomb? You know, it didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me.”

Gee Scott on updated Doomsday Clock: ‘We’re close to the end’

Spike felt that the next war is going to be fought over water rights and that desalinization will be the answer. And, he has faith in human beings.

“Now, I’m with you. I think the world is going to figure out our problems before we do ourselves in,” Spike agreed. “I don’t think we’re going to blow ourselves up off the rock, I really don’t. But I also don’t think we’re going to environment ourselves out of existence. I find myself in this in the Star Trek arena on this one. I think we are going to find the solutions to these problems. Before we go over the cliff and reach the point of no return.”

Stine talked about survival skills that get humans through crises.

“We think our way through problems, even problems that we create,” Stine said. “There are more trees now in the United States than there were in 1920. Why is that? Because people realize maybe we shouldn’t be clear-cutting these old groves, maybe we should leave industries alone. And so there is a process of learning that goes about.”

Spike said human beings make adjustments and figure things out.

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“I think we’re going to figure out clean energy, I think we’re going to figure out food stability from a global perspective,” Spike said. “And I’m saying they are so close to pioneering factory meat. Right? And while that is repulsive to you, me, and the postman, it really is, but there will be a time when that’s going to be necessary to feed the planet. But I think we’re going to get there.”