Reducing the Risk of Human Extinction

2007/10/01 by Jason Matheny · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Energy · #Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life #Global Energy and Sustainability Research #Extinction (optical mineralogy) #Value (mathematics) #Risk analysis (engineering) #Humanity #Environmental science #Natural resource economics #Environmental ethics #Computer science #Economics #Business #Biology #Political science #Law #Philosophy #Machine learning

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.2007.00960.x

openalex publication_date 2007/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15

Abstract

In this century a number of events could extinguish humanity. The probability of these events may be very low, but the expected value of preventing them could be high, as it represents the value of all future human lives. We review the challenges to studying human extinction risks and, by way of example, estimate the cost effectiveness of preventing extinction-level asteroid impacts.

Citations

• Nuclear War and Climatic Catastrophe: Some Policy Implications
• Natural history ofHomo erectus
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Cited by

• Space development and space science together, an historic opportunity
• An upper bound for the background rate of human extinction
• Human extinction [wikipedia]

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