Astrophysicist Adam Frank, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester in New York, has predicted a new possibility — the fall of different alien civilisations might have been due to climate changes. Well, that leads us to the next big question - Will it kill the humans too?
For his findings, , Frank used mathematical models based on the disappearance of various civilisations on Earth. Converting the planet's limited resources into energy would have led to the rise and fall of the alien races, Frank and his team showed in computer simulations.
Explaining the laws of physics, which explain how any energy-intensive civilisation like ours will have an effect on the planet, after due analysis of climate change from a cosmic context, Frank said the findings might give a better insight into the consequences of climate change.
Frank's theory-model was applied to four different scenarios of energy-intense civilisations and sadly three of them ended in an apocalypse. Though the fourth scenario showed promising results through the use of sustainable energy, the method resulted in fatality if the population took too much time to act.
In other words, the study suggested that the planet's future will largely depend on the population's foresight—how soon humans realise that they are destroying the planet's resources and how quick they act. The physicist also urged everyone to take climate change seriously.
So what is Frank's solution to handle the crisis? To create a balance in energy utilisation. Resources that consume high energy like oil should be replaced with sustainable energy like solar and then the civilisation can be saved, he said.
"Across cosmic space and time, you're going to have winners — who managed to see what was going on and figure out a path through it — and losers, who just couldn't get their act together and their civilisation fell by the wayside. The question is, which category do we want to be in?" said Frank conclusively.
The findings are published as a new paper in the journal Astrobiology.
