Skip to main content

How can you reduce the world's population by 20 percent in one hour?

As of writing this answer, the current world population is over 7,300,000,000 people. 20% of this number comes to 1,460,000,000 people, which is about 4.5 times as large as the United States.


If we wished to reduce our population by this amount it would require a catastrophic amount of energy or force on the scale of tsunamis large enough to cover the entire Chinese coastline. Plagues, illnesses, and other diseases would not be efficient enough...

As of writing this answer, the current world population is over 7,300,000,000 people. 20% of this number comes to 1,460,000,000 people, which is about 4.5 times as large as the United States.


If we wished to reduce our population by this amount it would require a catastrophic amount of energy or force on the scale of tsunamis large enough to cover the entire Chinese coastline. Plagues, illnesses, and other diseases would not be efficient enough as they require spreading, incubation in their victims, and for the person to succumb to the disease. In order to lower the world population so quickly, large scale bombing could be used on high density cities such as Delhi, New York, Hong Kong, and any other city with more than a million people. The largest city by population, Tokyo, Japan, only has 13 million people, so every large scale major city around the globe would have to be targeted. 


A large amount of seismic activity could also help to reduce the overall population. If the Ring of Fire (the volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean) were to erupt and cause large enough earthquakes, the resulting tidal waves could easily wipe out much of the Pacific Islands and many coastal towns of Eastern Asia. Beyond these two methods I'm not sure there are any other ways that could work as quickly or to the same magnitude as these options. Hope this helps! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Martel's Life of Pi, how does writing a diary help Pi Patel build on his leadership skills?

At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can... At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can do this by writing down events, problems and solutions, and reflections to look back on when confronted with repeated problems. It can ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why did Tybalt attack and kill Mercutio instead of Romeo, who he had originally been targeting?

Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio... Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio and Benvolio, Mercutio responds "And but one word with one of us?/ Couple it w...
Post a Comment
Read more