No one knows what the future holds. However, specific indicators may serve as omens for potentially disastrous events, and these signs may be noticeable for some.
Those people took time to answer this serious Reddit question: “What’s a disaster that is very likely to happen but not many people know about?” One person predicted the possible collapse of ocean fisheries. Another foresaw an alarming decline of pollinator insects like bees and how it may affect the world’s ecosystems and biodiversity.
None of these folks provided their sources or where they got their information, but if you’re a fan of doomscrolling, you may enjoy this list.
#21
A major fissure eruption in SE Iceland.
Since the Norse Settlement there have been two - the Eldgjá eruption c939 CE and the Lakagigur eruption of 1783-4. Although Eldgjá was larger, the massive Laki eruption is better documented. It created local devastation, crop failures, poisoned grazing animals and people. Half of the farm animals and twenty percentage of Icelanders died. Things got so bad that the Danish government considered evacuating the entire island.
We now know the Laki plume of sulfur dioxide spread across the Northern Hemisphere. In the UK, it killed tens of thousands of people; elsewhere there were crop failures and poisonous fogs. The climate went berserk with a series of bitterly cold winters that caused the Mississippi to freeze in New Orleans and ice floes in the Gulf of Mexico. Rains in the Nile Valley and the monsoon in India and China failed leading to famine. Total death toll in the 18th Century - anything up to 1 million people.
[EDIT] Thanks for all the upvotes folks - I didn't expect that to blow up (ahem) for something I wrote waiting for the kettle to boil.
If people want to know more - some resources you might find useful.
1) The Wikipedia page on Laki is pretty awesome and goes into much more detail than I could here.
2) If you want a contemporary report of the eruptions, you can't do better than Jón Stengrimsson's 'Fires of the Earth' written when he was parish priest in the area during the disaster. There is an English translation published by the University of Iceland, but it is somewhat hard to find. It is awesome.
3) Yes, you can visit Laki - although it is not especially impressive at ground level. The craters formed in the eruption are a 25km chain not far from Kirkjubæjarklaustur in SE Iceland (don't try pronouncing it unless you are Icelandic). They are off the main road on routes F206 (Lakavegur) and F207 (Lakagigavegur). These are dirt tracks, really only suited for four wheel drive and in summertime. You can't do it as a day trip from Reykjavík, but there is plenty to see and do in the area.
4) If you want the best scientific paper about the effects of Laki, then I would recommend Steven Self and Thorvaldur Thordarson's 'Atmospheric and environmental effects of the 1783–1784 Laki eruption: A review and reassessment'
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2001jd002042
5) Another scientific paper worth looking at - if you can get access is 'Illness and elevated human mortality in Europe coincident with the Laki Fissure eruption' by J. Grattan , M. Durand and S. Taylor which includes data from English burial records which was some of the first evidence that the eruption poisoned people outside of Iceland.
Since the Norse Settlement there have been two - the Eldgjá eruption c939 CE and the Lakagigur eruption of 1783-4. Although Eldgjá was larger, the massive Laki eruption is better documented. It created local devastation, crop failures, poisoned grazing animals and people. Half of the farm animals and twenty percentage of Icelanders died. Things got so bad that the Danish government considered evacuating the entire island.
We now know the Laki plume of sulfur dioxide spread across the Northern Hemisphere. In the UK, it killed tens of thousands of people; elsewhere there were crop failures and poisonous fogs. The climate went berserk with a series of bitterly cold winters that caused the Mississippi to freeze in New Orleans and ice floes in the Gulf of Mexico. Rains in the Nile Valley and the monsoon in India and China failed leading to famine. Total death toll in the 18th Century - anything up to 1 million people.
[EDIT] Thanks for all the upvotes folks - I didn't expect that to blow up (ahem) for something I wrote waiting for the kettle to boil.
If people want to know more - some resources you might find useful.
1) The Wikipedia page on Laki is pretty awesome and goes into much more detail than I could here.
2) If you want a contemporary report of the eruptions, you can't do better than Jón Stengrimsson's 'Fires of the Earth' written when he was parish priest in the area during the disaster. There is an English translation published by the University of Iceland, but it is somewhat hard to find. It is awesome.
3) Yes, you can visit Laki - although it is not especially impressive at ground level. The craters formed in the eruption are a 25km chain not far from Kirkjubæjarklaustur in SE Iceland (don't try pronouncing it unless you are Icelandic). They are off the main road on routes F206 (Lakavegur) and F207 (Lakagigavegur). These are dirt tracks, really only suited for four wheel drive and in summertime. You can't do it as a day trip from Reykjavík, but there is plenty to see and do in the area.
4) If you want the best scientific paper about the effects of Laki, then I would recommend Steven Self and Thorvaldur Thordarson's 'Atmospheric and environmental effects of the 1783–1784 Laki eruption: A review and reassessment'
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2001jd002042
5) Another scientific paper worth looking at - if you can get access is 'Illness and elevated human mortality in Europe coincident with the Laki Fissure eruption' by J. Grattan , M. Durand and S. Taylor which includes data from English burial records which was some of the first evidence that the eruption poisoned people outside of Iceland.
32points
#22
Epochalypse
In 2038, the old Unix/Linux systems that have physical 32 bit time registers are going to “run out of time”. Kind of like the Y2K bug but this is a physical memory issue.
Hopefully all the old systems will be swapped out by then.
In 2038, the old Unix/Linux systems that have physical 32 bit time registers are going to “run out of time”. Kind of like the Y2K bug but this is a physical memory issue.
Hopefully all the old systems will be swapped out by then.
31points
#23
The true disease scare is in fungal infections as they are becoming harder and harder to catch, easier to misdiagnose and there are some fungal infections spreading right now that can live on surfaces for months be misidnefied easily and are not susceptible to most anti fungal. Look up candida auris.
31points
#24
Nuclear escalation in Ukraine/Russia.
Or a terrorist organization getting their hands on a nuke.
All it takes is one.
Or a terrorist organization getting their hands on a nuke.
All it takes is one.
29points
#25
People don't really know but coffee beans are on their way to extinction.
[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-half-all-coffee-species-are-risk-extinction-180971289/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-half-all-coffee-species-are-risk-extinction-180971289/)
[https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/kew-scientists-reveal-that-60-of-wild-coffee](https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/kew-scientists-reveal-that-60-of-wild-coffee)
[https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/many-coffee-species-threatened-with-extinction/](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/many-coffee-species-threatened-with-extinction/).
[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-half-all-coffee-species-are-risk-extinction-180971289/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-half-all-coffee-species-are-risk-extinction-180971289/)
[https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/kew-scientists-reveal-that-60-of-wild-coffee](https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/kew-scientists-reveal-that-60-of-wild-coffee)
[https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/many-coffee-species-threatened-with-extinction/](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/many-coffee-species-threatened-with-extinction/).
28points
#26
A prion disease outbreak. There would be little we could do besides try to quarantine everyone who’s affected. If people don’t show symptoms quickly, then that may not be effective. There would be no treating anyone who was affected, destruction through cremation is about all you can do to a prion.
28points
#27
Bacteria will become resistant to our antibiotics.
Things contributing to that are countries where they are over the counter, use in animals, s****y substandard d***s manufactured in developing countries with inadequate levels of the d**g, prescriptions of antibiotics for colds or flu.
Things contributing to that are countries where they are over the counter, use in animals, s****y substandard d***s manufactured in developing countries with inadequate levels of the d**g, prescriptions of antibiotics for colds or flu.
27points
#28
A powerful earthquake along the New Madrid Fault in Missouri. .
26points
#29
China invading Taiwan and a major semiconductor shortage would pretty much bring so many things to a halt.
25points
#30
The global water scarcity crisis. While climate change, natural disasters, and other environmental issues are often in the spotlight, the looming shortage of freshwater resources poses a massive threat to billions of people in the near future.
Why Water Scarcity is a Major Threat:
Rapid Population Growth: As the global population increases, the demand for water grows. Agriculture, industry, and household needs all rely heavily on freshwater, and we’re using it faster than it’s being replenished in many regions.
Overuse of Groundwater: Many areas, especially in heavily agricultural or industrialized regions, are over-extracting groundwater from aquifers that take decades or centuries to recharge. This overuse can lead to water shortages, sinking ground (land subsidence), and even the collapse of local ecosystems.
Climate Change: Changes in rainfall patterns and increased droughts, exacerbated by global warming, are making freshwater less predictable and less available. Some regions that rely on glaciers or snowmelt for water, like parts of South Asia, could face severe shortages as these ice reserves shrink.
Water Pollution: Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and untreated sewage are contaminating many freshwater sources, making them unusable or unsafe without costly treatment. The growing pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater further shrinks the available supply of drinkable water.
Why Water Scarcity is a Major Threat:
Rapid Population Growth: As the global population increases, the demand for water grows. Agriculture, industry, and household needs all rely heavily on freshwater, and we’re using it faster than it’s being replenished in many regions.
Overuse of Groundwater: Many areas, especially in heavily agricultural or industrialized regions, are over-extracting groundwater from aquifers that take decades or centuries to recharge. This overuse can lead to water shortages, sinking ground (land subsidence), and even the collapse of local ecosystems.
Climate Change: Changes in rainfall patterns and increased droughts, exacerbated by global warming, are making freshwater less predictable and less available. Some regions that rely on glaciers or snowmelt for water, like parts of South Asia, could face severe shortages as these ice reserves shrink.
Water Pollution: Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and untreated sewage are contaminating many freshwater sources, making them unusable or unsafe without costly treatment. The growing pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater further shrinks the available supply of drinkable water.
25points
#31
A solar storm.
It basically occurs when the sun ejects a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields into space. When these reach earth, they can interact with our plant’s magnetic field, creating geomagnetic storms.
One historical precedent would be The Carrington Event of 1859, it’s the most “famous” one. It caused widespread telegraph outages and even fires. At the time, electrical infrastructure was minimal.
If a similar event happened today, the impact would be far greater due to our reliance on modern technology.
It’s likely because solar storms are a natural part of the sun’s cycle, with the sun going through peaks of activity (solar maximums) roughly every 11 years. NASA and other space agencies actively monitor space weather, but the general public is largely unaware of its existence or the risks
The Carrington Event was rare but statistically we may expect similar occurrences once every 100-200 years. Given the Carrington Event was around 150 years ago, we can expect another one “soon” based on these facts.
It basically occurs when the sun ejects a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields into space. When these reach earth, they can interact with our plant’s magnetic field, creating geomagnetic storms.
One historical precedent would be The Carrington Event of 1859, it’s the most “famous” one. It caused widespread telegraph outages and even fires. At the time, electrical infrastructure was minimal.
If a similar event happened today, the impact would be far greater due to our reliance on modern technology.
It’s likely because solar storms are a natural part of the sun’s cycle, with the sun going through peaks of activity (solar maximums) roughly every 11 years. NASA and other space agencies actively monitor space weather, but the general public is largely unaware of its existence or the risks
The Carrington Event was rare but statistically we may expect similar occurrences once every 100-200 years. Given the Carrington Event was around 150 years ago, we can expect another one “soon” based on these facts.
20points
#32
We're running out of the mineral that curling stones are made out of. Eventually we won't be able to enjoy curling at all in it's current form. The winter Olympics will never be the same.
17points
#33
Historically, bird flu has a [52% death rate in humans](https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/h5n1-bird-flu-what-to-know).
A huge avian flu outbreak in cows started in Texas earlier this year, and is currently spreading across California.
[https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-10-20/as-bird-flu-outbreaks-rise-piles-of-dead-cows-become-morbid-central-valley-tableau](https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-10-20/as-bird-flu-outbreaks-rise-piles-of-dead-cows-become-morbid-central-valley-tableau)
UC Davis: [1 in 5 milk samples from grocery stores test positive for bird flu](https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/grocery-store-milk-tests-positive-for-bird-flu-why-the-fda-says-its-still-safe-to-drink/2024/04) — but it's safe because of pasteurization. (Let's not talk about raw milk which is not pasteurized.)
If you want a real life conspiracy:
Inside the Bungled Bird Flu Response, Where Profits Collide With Public Health
[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/inside-the-bungled-bird-flu-response](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/inside-the-bungled-bird-flu-response)
Some quotes from that story:
* "Since the H5N1 bird flu virus was first reported in California in early August, 124 dairy herds and 13 people — all dairy workers — have been infected."
* “The majority of dairy workers in California have no protections. Most of them are immigrants. And I would say at least half of them are undocumented,” ... “These are folks that don’t have a particular relationship of trust with state and federal government officials.”
* “A lot of people have it,” said a woman working behind the cash register at Tipton’s Dollar General, one of the few stores in this small, agricultural community right off of Highway 99.
The biggest fear is that all those people who have it in the community then get another flu and then they breed a new avian flu variant that is super transmissible in humans, which then comes with the 52% death rate.
For context, COVID's death rate was about 2.1 to 2.3%.
Avian flu subreddit: r/H5N1_AvianFlu.
A huge avian flu outbreak in cows started in Texas earlier this year, and is currently spreading across California.
[https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-10-20/as-bird-flu-outbreaks-rise-piles-of-dead-cows-become-morbid-central-valley-tableau](https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-10-20/as-bird-flu-outbreaks-rise-piles-of-dead-cows-become-morbid-central-valley-tableau)
UC Davis: [1 in 5 milk samples from grocery stores test positive for bird flu](https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/grocery-store-milk-tests-positive-for-bird-flu-why-the-fda-says-its-still-safe-to-drink/2024/04) — but it's safe because of pasteurization. (Let's not talk about raw milk which is not pasteurized.)
If you want a real life conspiracy:
Inside the Bungled Bird Flu Response, Where Profits Collide With Public Health
[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/inside-the-bungled-bird-flu-response](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/inside-the-bungled-bird-flu-response)
Some quotes from that story:
* "Since the H5N1 bird flu virus was first reported in California in early August, 124 dairy herds and 13 people — all dairy workers — have been infected."
* “The majority of dairy workers in California have no protections. Most of them are immigrants. And I would say at least half of them are undocumented,” ... “These are folks that don’t have a particular relationship of trust with state and federal government officials.”
* “A lot of people have it,” said a woman working behind the cash register at Tipton’s Dollar General, one of the few stores in this small, agricultural community right off of Highway 99.
The biggest fear is that all those people who have it in the community then get another flu and then they breed a new avian flu variant that is super transmissible in humans, which then comes with the 52% death rate.
For context, COVID's death rate was about 2.1 to 2.3%.
Avian flu subreddit: r/H5N1_AvianFlu.
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16points
#34
We will have quantum computers. When that happens there is going to be massive implications given that it cracks modern encryption. Even if we move to encryption that isn't crackable by quantum computers, all the data that existed prior will be able to be unencrypted so all the current data that governments and bad actors have squirreled away and stored, waiting to be able to mass decrypt it, will be available to them.
14points
#35
"The Big One" in northern Utah. We live on/near a fault line that rarely produces earthquakes. A 5.4 with a ton of aftershocks happened, so some awareness has been raised, but there's countless buildings/structures in Salt Lake County *alone* that will collapse in an earthquake.
14points
#36
I'm not sure if this counts as a disaster? Folks have known for a while that in the coming decades Florida's municipal fresh water infrastructure will fail due to [salt water intrusion](https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/earth-systems/blog/tell-me-about-saltwater-intrusion-in-florida/). It's already started in certain places and large metros like [Miami are trying to curb it](https://www.miamidade.gov/global/water/conservation/saltwater-intrusion.page).
Tl;dr the bedrock under Flordia is porous. Salt water gets into it from below; fresh water fills it from above. Sea levels are rising; salt water is pushing up harder. The freshwater on the surface can't get to the bedrock (both from active drainage and ability of water to reach the rock blocked by asphalt, buildings, etc); the freshwater is pushing down weaker. This moves the level where freshwater turns into salt water higher up in the bedrock.......where all the current plumbing water inputs are....
Tl;dr the bedrock under Flordia is porous. Salt water gets into it from below; fresh water fills it from above. Sea levels are rising; salt water is pushing up harder. The freshwater on the surface can't get to the bedrock (both from active drainage and ability of water to reach the rock blocked by asphalt, buildings, etc); the freshwater is pushing down weaker. This moves the level where freshwater turns into salt water higher up in the bedrock.......where all the current plumbing water inputs are....
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14points
#37
Water scarcity. Not because of climate change.
Because of economic, infrastructure problems
Earthquakes
Wildfires.
Because of economic, infrastructure problems
Earthquakes
Wildfires.
Report
14points
#38
This is kind of a man made disaster specific to the US, but nursing shortage. With boomers retiring and then becoming increasingly sick, current nurse numbers don’t look great. Most of the numbers I’ve forgotten as I wrote a paper on it in nursing school, but I can’t imagine it looks any better now.
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12points
#39
Earthquakes are rare in Boston, but if one similar to the Cape Ann earthquake in 1755 were to occur today on a much more populated North Shore of Boston,
the damage could be catastrophic for that area. That quake was quite possibly related to the horrible earthquake a few weeks earlier in Portugal, straight across the Atlantic. If another big one hits there, New England could be next!
the damage could be catastrophic for that area. That quake was quite possibly related to the horrible earthquake a few weeks earlier in Portugal, straight across the Atlantic. If another big one hits there, New England could be next!
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11points
