She adds that nothing is certain.Right on TrackGaya Herrington, a sustainability researcher, made headlines earlier this month when she looked at claims in a 1972 MIT study that predicted the end of civilization. She found that they were on the verge of a collapse by 2040.She is still sticking to her dire prediction. Herrington explained to The Guardian that the moral of the story is that "business as usual" will lead to economic and social collapse.She also believes it is not too late for us to get clean.Herrington said that we are capable of making major changes. Herrington also told the Guardian that we've seen the effects of the pandemic. However, we need to act quickly if we want to avoid much higher costs than we see.AdvertisementAdvertisementNew ProblemsThe problems that the MIT scientists feared about decades ago are quite different from those we face today. Herrington explained to The Guardian that although they were concerned about a combination overpopulation and resource scarcity, the MIT researchers correctly predicted that more innovative resource extraction technology would solve the problem of resource scarcity. This led to more severe pollution.Herrington explained to the Guardian that scientists at MIT said it was necessary to act quickly to ensure a smooth transition. This didn't happen and we are now seeing the effects of climate change.Change your mindHerrington is firm in her belief that the 1972 prediction of civilization's collapse appears to be correct. She said that nothing is certain and that there's still time for people to correct the ship and build a more sustainable society.Herrington explained to the Guardian that the key finding of his study was that there is still a possibility for us to choose to align with a scenario that doesn't end in collapse. The model can be updated by continuing innovation in business and new developments made by governments and civil societies. This will give us a different perspective on the challenges we face and the opportunities for creating a sustainable world.AdvertisementAdvertisementREAD MORE: A Guardian expert has pronounced the 1970s end of the world prediction bleak [The Guardian]Further reading: MIT Prediction of Civilization Collapsing on TrackFuturism readers are invited to join the Singularity Global Community. This is our parent company's forum for futuristic science and technology discussions with other like-minded people around the globe. Sign up today to get started!
