Excerpts — Entropy 2020

On the increasing likelihood of a thermonuclear conflagration and global climate change, from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists:

Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers—nuclear war and climate change—that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond. The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode. 

In the nuclear realm, national leaders have ended or undermined several major arms control treaties and negotiations during the last year, creating an environment conducive to a renewed nuclear arms race, to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and to lowered barriers to nuclear war. Political conflicts regarding nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea remain unresolved and are, if anything, worsening. US-Russia cooperation on arms control and disarmament is all but nonexistent. 

Public awareness of the climate crisis grew over the course of 2019, largely because of mass protests by young people around the world. Just the same, governmental action on climate change still falls far short of meeting the challenge at hand. At UN climate meetings last year, national delegates made fine speeches but put forward few concrete plans to further limit the carbon dioxide emissions that are disrupting Earth’s climate. This limited political response came during a year when the effects of manmade climate change were manifested by one of the warmest years on record, extensive wildfires, and quicker-than-expected melting of glacial ice.

On the increasing chance of a global pandemic, from LiveScience site:

The first cases of the pneumonia-like virus were reported in Wuhan, China on Dec. 31, 2019. Since then, the virus has spread to various other countries, including Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Australia, France, among others. 

In order for this virus, or any, to lead to a pandemic in humans, it needs to do three things: efficiently infect humans, replicate in humans and then spread easily among humans, Live Science previously reported. Right now, the CDC is saying this virus passes between humans in a limited manner, but they are still investigating.

On the absurdity of cultural and societal degeneration, from RT site:

Michele Kobke has been dating the Boeing 737-800 since she met it at Berlin’s Tegel Airport in 2014. She says was immediately attracted to the jet’s wings, winglets and thrusters when she spied it through the airport window.

There are obviously more serious concerns about the failed “civilization” paradigm including “woke” movements, gender confusion, breakdown of civility, “smartphone” addition, homeless epidemic, opioid crisis, social inequality, civil unrest ad nauseam.

Nonetheless, the “big picture” can only be described by increasing entropy. Disorder is increasing at a pace that cannot be explained in any other manner.