Life After a Societal Collapse: What To Expect (Possible Scenarios)
Many experts agree that societal collapse is more likely than not. This is not new—MIT scientists predicted the collapse would occur in 2040, and throughout history, we have seen many great empires fail. However, this does not mean human civilization will end, but the future does not seem bright. So, what will it look like?
We might already be in the midst of a collapse
Many signs point out that we have already reached a boiling point. Our population has skyrocketed in the past 200 years, and resource consumption has not kept up. Another issue is political division, while the third and most concerning is apocalyptic weather. The rise of AI might not end us soon, but combined with other signs, we are in trouble.
What physicists have to say
A 2020 study by two physicists from the UK and Chile found that we have less than 10 percent to survive without facing a catastrophic collapse. The scientists, whose work was published in Nature Scientific Reports, cited deforestation as the most critical issue, followed by rising sea levels, increases in extreme weather, drought, flooding, and crop failures.
Will it look like Walking Dead?
Too many shows and movies are already dealing with the topic of doom, apocalypse, or the end of the world as we know it. For example, Terminator already put the fear of AI into us, while Mad Max depicted a world of barbarity following a societal collapse. Law and order are nonexistent, and every person is responsible for themselves.
The reality suggests otherwise
We don’t know what will happen. However, we have some ideas based on previous falls of the Roman Empire, Mandarin China, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Turkey, Japan, and Mesopotamia, and that’s only part of the list. Nearly 30 societies we know of collapsed, and many people survived, thanks to assistance and often orders from leaders.
What about technology?
If AI takes over the world, we would not have to worry about returning to sending letters via pigeon careers. But, in the case of a catastrophic collapse that aliens or AI do not cause, many think we will lose everything we have created. Instead of cars, we would go back to horses, and smartphones would be replaced by letters or, in the best-case scenario, landlines. But that’s not really how things work.
We would be off the grid for a while
While disruptions are possible, they are likely brief because infrastructure and power grids cannot disappear. Instead, they would have to be destroyed worldwide, which would take time. Great civilizations do not get destroyed by outside forces. The distraction has to come from within.
Lone wolves and survival of the fittest
Another concept in Sci-Fi books and movies implies that only the strongest will survive any type of societal collapse. They will act alone or in small groups, and their wit and calmness will make them unbeatable. Yet, we are more likely to end up in The Last Man On Earth scenario.
History disagrees
In case of a societal collapse, many people will be panicking about toilet paper, as seen during the early days of the Covid pandemic. However, what we also saw was an outpour of support and gratitude. Since things happen gradually, communities will slowly begin organizing, which we already witnessed during World Wars or times of great grief.
Ghost towns
Movies or books often talk about the disappearance of big cities, which is plausible if the area gets caught up in extreme weather situations or nuclear attacks. But, in other cases of societal collapse, the idea of ghost towns is almost laughable, and there is a simple explanation.
People will want to stick together
Some large cities have greater chances of being destroyed due to rapid climate changes. However, most will become hotspots for people looking to be close to each other for safety reasons. Many places will be left behind, but most will be rural areas with less food and security.
Starvation
Another idea of doom and gloom suggests we will all starve to death if lack of hydration doesn’t kill us first. There would be wars over a can of beans or a drop of water, as seen in movies. But people are resourceful when they need to be, so something genuinely outstanding would have to happen to destroy all food and water on the planet.
Finding alternatives
The cost of food would rise, but people would start planting seeds, hunting, and adapting, as they did for a long time. We have to remember that after a crash in the Andes, a group of survivors ate the frozen dead. It might sound disgusting, but we are just like any other animal when faced with grave danger.
So, what to expect?
We must understand what caused the societal collapse in order to decide what could happen. One thing could trigger another, leading to uncharted waters, but without the initial trigger, we cannot predict anything. An economic collapse would not look the same as biological warfare or a natural disaster.
Environmental disasters
If a series of environmental disasters happened, it could trigger a failure of infrastructure, which would result in people feeling en masse. The healthcare system would likely collapse because it would get overflowed, and agriculture and water supplies would put everyone in grave danger. However, we are more or less prepared for various natural disasters, which would not end Western civilization.
Civil unrest
If the government can’t govern, it would likely trigger civil unrest where people would go against those of opposing political or ideological views. For Americans, the idea of the Civil War might sound like a thing of the past, but once democracy is removed, anything is possible.
Biological warfare or another pandemic
Some societal collapses would bring us closer. But, a potentially deadly virus or biological warfare would keep us apart. In this case, the healthcare system would be the first to go down, and with it, it would take medications and therapies needed for those who have medical conditions.
Cyber or physical attacks
Cyber and physical attacks that directly damage infrastructure could lead to utter chaos because people would be left without drinking water and electricity. However, unlike environmental disasters, these attacks can be calculated and cause catastrophes for several countries simultaneously.
United we stand
In conclusion, many scenarios of so-called doomsday differ from what we see on TV, but even knowing societal collapse is possible and soon can add to already stressful everyday lives. You can prepare, but a collapse does not have to mean great hunger and human sacrifices necessarily. Many things will be up for people to decide, though if we treat our civilization as our planet, we are doomed.
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