Alien civilizations could destroy themselves due to climate change

A recent study by astrophysicists suggests that advanced alien civilizations may have just a thousand years before their planets become uninhabitable due to climate change. This alarming finding comes from simulations that examine the trajectory of technological growth and energy consumption of these hypothetical societies. Even those who rely on renewable energy could face serious consequences, as any increase in energy production inevitably leads to heat generation that the planet cannot support. This research has been shared on the preprint server arXiv and is currently awaiting peer review.

Comparisons with human energy consumption

The study’s lead authors, Manasvi Lingam, an astrophysicist at Florida Tech, and Amedeo Balbi, an associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Tor Vergata University of Rome, draw parallels between human energy consumption and the potential fate of alien societies. Since the 19th century, human energy consumption has increased dramatically, with estimates for 2023 pointing to a consumption of approximately 180,000 terawatt hours (TWh). This level of energy consumption, mainly from fossil fuels, has caused global temperatures to rise at an unsustainable rate. Even a shift to renewables wouldn’t halt this growth and it still would result in the increased energy demand.

The role of thermodynamics in planetary health

The second law of thermodynamics plays a crucial role in understanding this phenomenon. It states that no energy system is perfect, meaning that some energy is always lost in the form of heat. Lingam uses the analogy of a leaky bathtub to illustrate how, as a society grows, even a small leak can lead to catastrophic consequences when the bathtub becomes too full.

Challenges for astrobiology and the search for life

The implications of this study extend beyond the survival of extraterrestrial life; they also pose significant challenges to astrobiologists in their search for intelligent life beyond Earth. With such a short survival time, the research indicates that many potential civilizations could self-destruct long before they can be discovered.

A sustainable path forward for civilizations

Lingam emphasizes that there is an alternative. Civilizations could adopt a balanced growth approach, allowing them to co-exist sustainably with their environments, potentially enabling survival for millennia.