«As it's not possible
to always successfully
predict volcanic events due
to the lack of complete knowledge of the signals
leading to catastrophes, these results are an important new finding and ultimately we hope they will contribute
to our understanding of where and when the next volcanic eruption will be.»
What kind of
catastrophe can not be
predicted, but numerous candidates have been discussed in this book: ecological collapses of various kinds, large - scale crop failures due
to ecological stress or changes in climate and
leading to mass famine; severe resource shortages, which could
lead either
to crop failures or
to social problems or both; epidemic diseases; wars over diminishing resources; perhaps even thermonuclear war.»