"What Is Currently On The Brink Of Collapse But No One Is Talking About It?” (25 Answers)

Watching everything that’s currently going in the world can make one feel a constant thrum of low-lying anxiety. The alarming question, “Are we on the brink of collapse as a species?”, pops into one’s mind when faced with the fear that humanity is barely hanging on. The undercurrents of tension in the political climate, the fickleness of human nature, and various other precarious features appear to indicate some degree of threat to the very existence of humanity. Recently, a discussion on the topic invited Redditors to share their opinions on what things have them concerned about the future of mankind. Respondents cited everything from mass extinctions to critical thinking and we’ve shared a few top picks in the gallery below. Proceed only if you have steady nerves however, because it can be slightly unnerving to look at the bigger picture and track our current trajectory into a possible implosion of society. 

#1

Image source: Overall-Habit5284, Miguel / flickr Here in the UK - the water table. Already seen massive drought in the north with unprecedented lack of rainfall this year. Reservoirs and rivers lower than they've been in decades. On top of leaking pipes that date back to WW2, and we could honestly be talking about real drinking water shortages in 5-10 years. TDA_Liamo: But then we get very wet years like last year. The UK isn't going to become a desert, but we will see swings from drought to floods, with possible water shortages if a drought goes on for a long time. AttemptingToBeGood: The droughty conditions wouldn't necessarily be a problem usually. The bigger issue is probably the fact our population has grown by 20% officially (the real number is likely higher) since we built our last reservoir, which was in 1992. We have one desalination plant but that has been shuttered for years. If we have water shortage issues, it will primarily be on the state, not the climate.

#2

Image source: FangAndBoard The Cascadia Subduction Zone. Altril2010: There was a really interesting article published a month or so ago about the subduction zone. It turns out that not all the faults are connected. So even when the “big one” hits the way the plates react is going to be slightly different than originally projected. Some areas will be much worse off and a few others may not see as much as an impact. It also means that if one area of the fault slips it doesn’t necessarily mean that the whole zone will. No evidence for an active margin-spanning megasplay fault at the Cascadia Subduction Zone

#3

Image source: Inkqueen12, Dick Martin / Unsplash The orca pod known as J-pod, that are residents of the Pudget Sound, are starving as the salmon population is collapsing. arubablueshoes: J pod is actually doing better than the others. K pod is down to 14 individuals with the most recent member born in 2022 as of the latest census back in April of this year. The whole SRKW pod is basically screwed. It's sad. matt_minderbinder: Fisheries here in the great lakes are collapsing too. Invasive species and warning waters from climate change completely change the ecosystem. Food patterns are changing as is habitat. It's a smaller model of what's happening in our oceans and people are treating it all as if any of this is normal.

#4

Image source: ChangeForAParadigm, Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash Lots of collectively owned private, professional businesses: Private equity has been relentlessly buying up veterinarian practices, CPA firms, and - I’m sure - all kinds of other businesses so that they can egregiously increase prices, sell everything that isn’t nailed down, cut staff to nothing, then sell the little bit that’s left to some naive future buyer at a hugely inflated cost. That whole last part isn’t any kind of a secret, either. That’s just how their unconscionable business model operates. Make no mistake though because they’ll get richer, and all the rest of us will pay for it. (Same as it ever was.). km_amateurphoto: I work at a Veterinary Hospital and this is 100% happening to us right now. We got bought out about a year and a half ago, our prices have gone up 45%, corporate cut full time hours back to 30-32 hours per week and every shift is a skeleton crew. It really sucks.

#5

Image source: DURAKSTARSde, Musa Haef / Unsplash Bridges, railroad lines, power grids, water pipes - some of them decades old and unstable. (Germany). JediOrDie: America is waaaay worse. Somethings you listed are from the 1800’s held together with duct tape. JustTheBeerLight: The US has this unique problem that everything was built during the New Deal (30s-40s), so the expiration dates on bridges, dams, roads all run out at the same time.

#6

Image source: Rumpleshite, Getty Images / Unsplash Critical thinking - humanity is over-reliant on devices and AI to do their thinking for them instead of using tech to enhance their own thinking. jaylotw: This is very noticeable in the younger people now. They just can't figure s**t out with their own brains. They just ask their phone, and accept the easiest answer to deal with. It's pretty easy to see here on Reddit, too, in certain subs, and the questions that younger people ask. The questions are generally stuff that they could just...try for themselves...but it's almost as though they have to ask permission from the internet before possibly making a mistake and having to figure out what went wrong.

#7

Image source: Senrakdaemon, Abhi Verma/ Unsplash Surprised I didn't see many posts about insects. We are in a mass extinction event of something like 60% of their population. EmotionalJellyfish31: When I mention where have all the bugs gone on the windscreen to people, that’s when they stop and think and realise the same. We have Christmas beetles that used to be everywhere at night at Christmas. I remember playing night tennis with my family and I used to run around saving all the Xmas beetles off the court as a kid and not actually play tennis. Now I have not seen 1 in years. It’s so sad.

#8

Image source: HotGarbage, Brandon / Unsplash Chinook salmon. Chinook are their main food source because of the fat content, and they're on the brink of collapse. I mean, it's not looking good for all salmon species, but when/if the Chinook go extinct, that's the first big domino to fall in the Salish Sea ecosystem. Everchangingbeetroot: The fact that I know this and people have already been typing this terrifies me. I wish news reported more important matters such as this. HotGarbage (OP): I hear you. I've been fishing my entire life and used to catch salmon every summer in the PNW and have just watched the runs dwindle down to a trickle. It's super sad. The news doesn't really report on it because the US doesn't really have news anymore, just platforms to spin narratives to make the most money possible. Unfortunately, a story like this wouldn't make enough people angry to get enough clicks, therefor, not making enough money.

#9

Image source: dresscode_trenchcoat, Getty Images / Unsplash Honestly, I'd say the internet. Everything requires an account, everything collects your information, you can't own anything cause you can only get subscriptions to services. There are way too many social media platforms, which are somehow all owned by the same few mega corporations (Meta, Google, Microsoft etc.) AI is slowly taking over everything and spewing out misinformation left and right. The appealing thing about the internet used to be how "free" it felt, it wasn't governed by corporations or governments, and it truly felt like a place where humans could have their own thing in peace. Now it's treated more like a shopping mall/homeland security checkpoint that also somehow gives you social anxiety and is dangerously addictive because corporations have found the psychological tactics to hook you. ole-oak: While the AI makes art and likes it with their own bots, the rest of us can go out to the park and have picnics together :)

#10

Image source: whoknows370, Alex Brinkman/ Unsplash Maybe not on the brink but may be approaching - The AMOC, or Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, is a large system of ocean currents that acts like a conveyor belt, circulating warm and cold water throughout the Atlantic Ocean. This circulation plays a crucial role in regulating global and regional climates by distributing heat and influencing weather patterns. Recent research suggests the AMOC may be slowing down, and there's a concern about a potential collapse, which could lead to significant climate shifts. TeacherRecovering: When the Canadian ice sheets melt, they will input a huge amount of cold water that will cool northern Europe.

#11

Image source: 1dolla2dolla, Getty Images Overly complex appliances, cars, TVs, etc. I want a toaster that toasts bread without Bluetooth. I want an analog k**b on my and a sliding button that lowers the bread carriage and locks into place. I don't need LEDs telling me how toasty my toast will be. The only light the toaster should emit is the soft red-orange glow from the heating elements. That's how I know it works. In fact, I shouldn't be able to know it's actually working for at least 3 seconds after the bread carriage has locked into place while I wait for those wires to begin glowing. I don't need an artificial beep, or ding, or cheesy tune... When my toast is done, I want it to let me know by disengaging the spring loaded bread carriage and sending my toast flying. I want that bread carriage to slam into its original state ready for another set of bread slices so loudly that it wakes my teenage daughters and it pisses them off... "What? Do you not want toast? Thought so.". bencciarati: This is the crazy one to me. Nothing is about retaining customers anymore; the entire economy is about cranking your investment up as h**h as you can get it by jamming useless s**t into your products and software. Every product needs a new innovation, everything needs to be smart, AI-assisted, with a screen, settings, internet capabilities, a personal assistant, and smartphone controlled. My grandmother recently built a new house and purchased a GE oven that won't let you turn it on until you connect it to the internet. Canva, Google, Amazon: these can't just be useful platforms excelling at one thing, they have to be everything platforms. I don't want to ask Rufus what material this stainless steel pizza cutter is made out of. I don't want Google to tell me that I should eat rocks every day bc it's modeling its data on reddit comments. I don't need my washer to sing to me or text me when the spin cycle starts. I don't want my television to blast my eyes with unskippable ads for the new season of Yellowstone every time I turn it on. I'd rather my car not have a massive iPad in the middle of the dash that leaves no room for analog buttons, causing me to almost be responsible for a fatal 50 car pileup every time I want to change the temp. "Late stage capitalism" is an overused phrase but money is smoke and something soon will cause it to disappear. Every dollar needs to be profited on and not doing so is seen simply as a catastrophic failure. Every fan needs an app, everything needs to be smart, and every toaster needs an AI assistant, not because it's useful, but because artificially inflating investment value is the best way for the wealthy to line their already-thick pockets.

#12

Image source: Loose-Web9138, Planet Volumes / Unsplash I think our civilization’s ability to write without Generative AI. I believe writing is thinking, and it provides clarity to our thoughts. A vast majority of university students are now relying on services like chat gpt which I believe will eventually affect us in a long run. I don’t have research backing up my claim, and I hope I’m wrong. Regardless, I’m worried.

#13

Image source: resinvietart, Leon Seibert/ Unsplash The internet. It’s getting slower, more ads, more paywalls… And somehow we’re okay with it. Scorpiodancer123: It's also just more sh*t. I click on a story, it's written by AI, shoddy spelling, grammar and sentence construction, such that some "articles" barely make sense. Assuming I can even read them amongst the adverts and still assuming the entire article isn't just an advert in itself. And then I get to have a dozen other articles about the same content, "written" in almost the same words by another organisation. Even reputable agencies are getting worse. Never thought I'd turn off "BBC Breaking News" - once a national tragedy or global crisis of major importance now any old bit of news they haven't reported yet or some "celebrity" bollocks. Google has gone beyond s**t for finding information and searching f*****g Gmail for an email is an absolute sh*t show. Needing an account or even an app for absolutely f*****g everything while we hand over our information to companies "who value our privacy and promise to look after our data" who then get a "data breach" which is basically code for "sold off".

#14

The worlds natural ecosystems. Image source: Mattna-da

#15

Bees. They are basically gone. I seen two this summer so far and I have extensive gardens planted with native species. Image source: chaotic-wickedness

#16

Image source: gespog123, Kateryna Hliznitsova / Unsplash Teachers, not teaching itself, but the whole system around it. So many teachers are underpaid, overworked, and just done. A lot are quitting quietly, or switching careers, and schools are struggling to replace them. It’s kind of scary how fast it's unraveling but no one's really screaming about it yet. brapo68: As a teacher ill say this. If you ever considered becoming a teacher, now is a great time. Due to the shortage we have all kinds of alt programs to license. I love my job but I do understand why others dont. School administration, and school culture make the job. I appreciate someone noticing us by the way.

#17

Image source: Icefirewolflord, Getty Images / Unsplash A bunch of small ecosystems around the world We’ve already seen reef habitats collapse. A lot of people don’t seem to understand that the coral isn’t the only thing affected; all of the fish, invertebrates, and reptiles that may live in that area will abandon it when it dies. Peat swamps are being overharvested and destroyed by the peat moss business. Kelp forests are being destroyed by invasive urchins, certain waterways are being drained for irrigation/commercial use (like the Aral inland sea), wetlands are suffering due to pollution and deforestation is driving out keystone species that are necessary for life in those areas. And almost all of it is being either directly or indirectly caused by us. Thinks_22_Much: Coral reefs also protect huge swaths of the American coastline from storm surge flooding during hurricanes. The collapse of this coral is part of what has contributed to the record flood damage we've seen from these storms in recent decades.

#18

Image source: Miserable_Smoke, Gabriella Clare Marino/ Unsplash Food prices are about to skyrocket in the US. Due to certain outside factors, farms are reporting 80% of their workers arent showing up. They don't have the manpower to harvest the crops, some of which need to be harvested wiithin a one day window. Farmers fear they may spoil on the plant. There is the possibility of food shortages, and may have a major ripple effect throughout the world due to the US role as a major food exporter.

#19

Image source: DrColdReality, Joshua Earle / Unsplash Pretty much the entire US. But if you want to cite one specific thing, the civil infrastructure: roads, dams, bridges, sewers, etc. It's all little more than painted-over rust. We are headed for some major disasters in the country, and it won't be because illegal aliens are picking lettuce or because the library has a gay book in it. Picture this: it's 2029, and The Big Quake finally hits LA. Now mainly due to the state's super-strict earthquake building codes (or as Republicans call them, "job-k*****g regulations"), the surface damage and deaths are relatively light. But underground, it's a different story. Hundreds of miles of aging sewer lines collapse into rubble, and for months--maybe years--nobody in downtown LA can flush a toilet. Think people might get interested in the topic THEN?

#20

Image source: panaceaXgrace, Getty Images The working class. Hopefully the collapse will wake some folks up but I don't have a lot of hope when they seem perfectly happy in their caves staring at the shadows. splendiferousgg: I truly believe we're already in indentured servitude leading to full-on labor sl*very for all but the 1% panaceaXgrace: That doesn't seem unrealistic at all. After all they do this already in many countries and I know they are saying us Poors are getting too used to our 'freebies" like health care and affordable housing.

#21

Image source: THE_TRIP_KEEPER, Felipe Bustillo/ Unsplash The movie industry feels that way in Hollywood right now. theducks: Agreed. I used to see several movies per year.. literally the only thing I’ve been slightly interested in seeing was Nicolas Cage’s The Surfer, which sickens me to be honest.

#22

Everything. Bottom half of the entire u.s. population only own 2.5% of wealth. Wages have stagnated for decades, costs have soared. Guess what? Consumer spending is finally so low that Mcdonalds is begging people to come back. Small businesses are dropping like flies. Theres about to be a whole lot of people homeless in a decade. The people living paycheck to paycheck a few years ago are now homeless. Cycle repeats. Then you have rampant corruption, all the U.S. media is owned by 6 companies. Few countries are much better in terms of income/spending. Image source: notislant

#23

Image source: jannw, Joshua Earle / Unsplash Civilisations decline/collapse over generations - I'd suggest that there is a strong possibility that "the free liberal west" is in the early stages of a multi-generational decline, not unlike that of the Roman empire. Facebook and Netflix are our bread and circuses while around us cultures that are not compatible with our (democratic, egalitarian, progressive, liberal) values are rising to challenge and eventually displace us (think BRICS + ME). It won't happen in my lifetime, but it is happening. crazyclue: Along those lines, I think the democratic political system has gotten so gridlocked, corporatized, social media-centric, bot driven, echo chambered, and machined that it is starting a multigenerational decline itself. The next great civilization will probably come out of some new system, whatever it is, that either totally rejects or uber perfects the current trends in a novel way. This sort of coincides with the concepts in the book Bowling Alone (at least in my mind), but I don’t think it’s entirely predictive or correct on where the future lies. We haven’t seen big enough quakes in the bedrock yet.

#24

Image source: Negative_Win3898 *gestures around in general.* ShoddyInitiative2637: Everyone wants a better world, except for the few as*holes at the top who are in charge and are hellbent on making sure that we don't get what we want so they can keep their profits. They learned long ago that if they can manage to keep people distracted fighting with each other, they can do whatever they want. This is why the news is a 24/7 broadcast of the most sensational but irrelevant bullsh*t, and politics is a two party mud throwing contest . They'll never tell you or let you vote on the truly important things. The US political system is completely rigged to keep it that way. Congress repealed the secret ballot in 1970, and fed you some bullshit about needing to know how your congressmen vote. The problem with that is, that without the secret ballot, you completely enable the rich to buy, intimidate or coerce every single important vote. They've have 55 years now to rig politics in their favor, and they have done so with unfathomable success. I'd even go so far as to say that there is no chance anymore of a fair election or good politician ever being able to completely fix things. It's so utterly broken that the only way to ever fix the US political system, and the same goes for many other countries, is a violent uprising where the entire thing is scrapped in one go and we start over.

#25

Democracy. Image source: 000ArdeliaLortz000