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How possible would it be for a whole city (and smaller towns) to be built on water?
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The world is flooded and some people have survived and managed to build small towns and even massive cities on the ocean that now covers the world. Is this possible hypothetically?
cities natural-disasters
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
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asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
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up vote
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The world is flooded and some people have survived and managed to build small towns and even massive cities on the ocean that now covers the world. Is this possible hypothetically?
cities natural-disasters
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
234
New contributor
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
2
Thank you for Accepting my answer. However, the usual process on Worldbuilding (unlike some other StackExchange sites that deal with more concrete "fix my problem" questions) is to wait a while (typically a day or so) to compare answers from different people. Accepting an answer quickly discourages other people from coming up with their own - possibly quite different - answers.
– manassehkatz
2 hours ago
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up vote
4
down vote
favorite
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
The world is flooded and some people have survived and managed to build small towns and even massive cities on the ocean that now covers the world. Is this possible hypothetically?
cities natural-disasters
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
234
New contributor
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The world is flooded and some people have survived and managed to build small towns and even massive cities on the ocean that now covers the world. Is this possible hypothetically?
cities natural-disasters
cities natural-disasters
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
234
New contributor
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
234
New contributor
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
edited 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
2,706320
asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
234
New contributor
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
234
asked 3 hours ago
Z. Lee
234
234
New contributor
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Z. Lee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
2
Thank you for Accepting my answer. However, the usual process on Worldbuilding (unlike some other StackExchange sites that deal with more concrete "fix my problem" questions) is to wait a while (typically a day or so) to compare answers from different people. Accepting an answer quickly discourages other people from coming up with their own - possibly quite different - answers.
– manassehkatz
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
2
Thank you for Accepting my answer. However, the usual process on Worldbuilding (unlike some other StackExchange sites that deal with more concrete "fix my problem" questions) is to wait a while (typically a day or so) to compare answers from different people. Accepting an answer quickly discourages other people from coming up with their own - possibly quite different - answers.
– manassehkatz
2 hours ago
2
2
Thank you for Accepting my answer. However, the usual process on Worldbuilding (unlike some other StackExchange sites that deal with more concrete "fix my problem" questions) is to wait a while (typically a day or so) to compare answers from different people. Accepting an answer quickly discourages other people from coming up with their own - possibly quite different - answers.
– manassehkatz
2 hours ago
Thank you for Accepting my answer. However, the usual process on Worldbuilding (unlike some other StackExchange sites that deal with more concrete "fix my problem" questions) is to wait a while (typically a day or so) to compare answers from different people. Accepting an answer quickly discourages other people from coming up with their own - possibly quite different - answers.
– manassehkatz
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
How much is it flooded?
A Noah-style flood went over the highest mountains. Ignoring the scientific plausibility (which is easy-enough to do when you have either religion or a science fiction/fantasy author involved), this is a LOT of water. But unless/until you revise the question, I will assume that you are dealing with a flood of that magnitude, as opposed to a more plausible global-warming-all-ice-melts flooding of a couple hundred feet. A couple hundred feet is enough to do a lot of damage, but is not nearly as bad (as explained below) as a Noah-style flood.
- Assumption # 1: Noah-style global flood that covers all land.
- Assumption # 2: Reasonable warning/planning time, perhaps 10 - 50 years of gradual (but unending) melting, rainstorms, etc.
Start with big ships
If you start with an US aircraft carrier (which has been used in many science fiction novels that I have read) then you have a nice big platform for building on and a nuclear power plant to supply power for a while.
If you start with a cruise ship then you have living quarters for thousands of people with all the amenities.
Take either (or both) of these and link up plenty of smaller ships, boats, rafts, etc. and you can safely house thousands of people. Add a hospital ship and you have medical taken care of, at least for a little while.
Container ships can be a huge help. They aren't great for living quarters, but a ship with thousands of 40-foot containers can hold enough supplies - food, medicine, clothing, etc. - to help people survive for a while. But they won't last forever.
Problem # 1 - Fuel
Fuel is a BIG problem. If you have a global flood, you can't drill for oil, dig for coal - and even if you can, a refinery takes above-water facilities that you simply don't have. Solar energy isn't nearly enough because you don't have large areas for solar panels or other collectors - in fact, you are likely building up, not out, in general - look at a typical cruise ship for an example.
Nuclear power from your aircraft carriers will help for few years, but it is limited in both time & capacity.
If there is enough planning from the nuclear-capable countries - e.g., US, Russia, France, Japan - then you can build a bunch of naval reactors (i.e., like the US aircraft carriers & submarines use) and mine/process as much uranium as possible to, hopefully, provide power for a group of large ships for several decades. If not, then fuel will be a big problem.
Problem # 2: Food
I hope everyone likes fish & seaweed. Every little boat becomes a fishing boat. Every day they spread out to the surrounding area and throw out their nets and collect what they can. At the end of the day they head back to the mother ship and have fresh fish for dinner. Everything else can be stockpiled but really won't last long. A fish/seaweed diet is likely to be low in a number of vital vitamins and minerals - think Vitamin C/scurvy - so a stockpile of key vitamins and other nutrients will be critical.
Problem # 3: Security
Pirates will be everywhere. Only the largest countries or the largest private organizations will have self-sufficient (though all time-limited) "cities". Plenty of people will grab their guns and their boats and when they get hungry...watch out. A destroyer equipped for battle can easily stop enemy boats. An aircraft carrier or cruise ship teeming with refugees has a harder time, plus the big guns will run out of ammunition before the pirates do. No home base to call for support.
Problem # 4: Everything Else!
Supplies of everything will be limited. No factories producing clothing and electronics in China. No factories producing medicine in the US. Unlike many other global disaster scenarios, no scavenging of supplies from abandoned cities.
End result - doomed!
Too many variables to say for sure, but my guess is that:
- Largest "cities", on the order of 10,000 - 20,000 people - decimated within 10 years due to lack of fuel, food and supplies.
- Smaller "towns", on the order of 100 - 1,000 people - most will not last long at all, but some (private "towns" funded by billionaires) will be well planned, well stocked and last for decades if disease doesn't kill them off.
- Small groups - pirates, families, etc. - < 100 people - will have big problems surviving more than a few years due to lack of infrastructure (medical support, mechanical repairs, etc.)
In short, doomed.
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
You have to become a "space faring" civilization.
I don't mean that you have to build spaceships and escape the planet. Instead, you have to be able to develop the same technologies required to establish long-term colonies on the moon, mars or to build interstellar generational ships. (That's why I placed "space faring" in quotes).
Basically, all the problems mentioned in manassehkatz's response can only be solved if your civilization has already mastered (or has come close to mastering) the technological hurdles required to survive in harsh, enclosed, and limited-resource environments. This translates to developing efficient means of food production (e.g. hydroponics) and waste recycling. Reliance on 3D printing for nearly all manufacturing, and energy would have to be harvested from renewable means in the long run (solar, wind, tidal forces). This, in turn, would help stabilize your society and minimize the need for criminal enterprises such as piracy.
Acquiring raw materials would be harder, so either proper preparations were made before the cataclysm and/or means were devised to "mine" materials from flooded cities (as in, demolish a skyscraper or large building and extract its steel and other rare materials). The last item to watch for is population control: limiting births to two per family would be sufficient to keep a population stable long term.
Ironically, if such a civilization already has such technology available, they are most likely well underway in establishing off-world lunar, martian or martian-like outposts. These outposts would likely be placed in a situation where they'd have to try to find ways to help the planet's survivors.
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
How much is it flooded?
A Noah-style flood went over the highest mountains. Ignoring the scientific plausibility (which is easy-enough to do when you have either religion or a science fiction/fantasy author involved), this is a LOT of water. But unless/until you revise the question, I will assume that you are dealing with a flood of that magnitude, as opposed to a more plausible global-warming-all-ice-melts flooding of a couple hundred feet. A couple hundred feet is enough to do a lot of damage, but is not nearly as bad (as explained below) as a Noah-style flood.
- Assumption # 1: Noah-style global flood that covers all land.
- Assumption # 2: Reasonable warning/planning time, perhaps 10 - 50 years of gradual (but unending) melting, rainstorms, etc.
Start with big ships
If you start with an US aircraft carrier (which has been used in many science fiction novels that I have read) then you have a nice big platform for building on and a nuclear power plant to supply power for a while.
If you start with a cruise ship then you have living quarters for thousands of people with all the amenities.
Take either (or both) of these and link up plenty of smaller ships, boats, rafts, etc. and you can safely house thousands of people. Add a hospital ship and you have medical taken care of, at least for a little while.
Container ships can be a huge help. They aren't great for living quarters, but a ship with thousands of 40-foot containers can hold enough supplies - food, medicine, clothing, etc. - to help people survive for a while. But they won't last forever.
Problem # 1 - Fuel
Fuel is a BIG problem. If you have a global flood, you can't drill for oil, dig for coal - and even if you can, a refinery takes above-water facilities that you simply don't have. Solar energy isn't nearly enough because you don't have large areas for solar panels or other collectors - in fact, you are likely building up, not out, in general - look at a typical cruise ship for an example.
Nuclear power from your aircraft carriers will help for few years, but it is limited in both time & capacity.
If there is enough planning from the nuclear-capable countries - e.g., US, Russia, France, Japan - then you can build a bunch of naval reactors (i.e., like the US aircraft carriers & submarines use) and mine/process as much uranium as possible to, hopefully, provide power for a group of large ships for several decades. If not, then fuel will be a big problem.
Problem # 2: Food
I hope everyone likes fish & seaweed. Every little boat becomes a fishing boat. Every day they spread out to the surrounding area and throw out their nets and collect what they can. At the end of the day they head back to the mother ship and have fresh fish for dinner. Everything else can be stockpiled but really won't last long. A fish/seaweed diet is likely to be low in a number of vital vitamins and minerals - think Vitamin C/scurvy - so a stockpile of key vitamins and other nutrients will be critical.
Problem # 3: Security
Pirates will be everywhere. Only the largest countries or the largest private organizations will have self-sufficient (though all time-limited) "cities". Plenty of people will grab their guns and their boats and when they get hungry...watch out. A destroyer equipped for battle can easily stop enemy boats. An aircraft carrier or cruise ship teeming with refugees has a harder time, plus the big guns will run out of ammunition before the pirates do. No home base to call for support.
Problem # 4: Everything Else!
Supplies of everything will be limited. No factories producing clothing and electronics in China. No factories producing medicine in the US. Unlike many other global disaster scenarios, no scavenging of supplies from abandoned cities.
End result - doomed!
Too many variables to say for sure, but my guess is that:
- Largest "cities", on the order of 10,000 - 20,000 people - decimated within 10 years due to lack of fuel, food and supplies.
- Smaller "towns", on the order of 100 - 1,000 people - most will not last long at all, but some (private "towns" funded by billionaires) will be well planned, well stocked and last for decades if disease doesn't kill them off.
- Small groups - pirates, families, etc. - < 100 people - will have big problems surviving more than a few years due to lack of infrastructure (medical support, mechanical repairs, etc.)
In short, doomed.
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
How much is it flooded?
A Noah-style flood went over the highest mountains. Ignoring the scientific plausibility (which is easy-enough to do when you have either religion or a science fiction/fantasy author involved), this is a LOT of water. But unless/until you revise the question, I will assume that you are dealing with a flood of that magnitude, as opposed to a more plausible global-warming-all-ice-melts flooding of a couple hundred feet. A couple hundred feet is enough to do a lot of damage, but is not nearly as bad (as explained below) as a Noah-style flood.
- Assumption # 1: Noah-style global flood that covers all land.
- Assumption # 2: Reasonable warning/planning time, perhaps 10 - 50 years of gradual (but unending) melting, rainstorms, etc.
Start with big ships
If you start with an US aircraft carrier (which has been used in many science fiction novels that I have read) then you have a nice big platform for building on and a nuclear power plant to supply power for a while.
If you start with a cruise ship then you have living quarters for thousands of people with all the amenities.
Take either (or both) of these and link up plenty of smaller ships, boats, rafts, etc. and you can safely house thousands of people. Add a hospital ship and you have medical taken care of, at least for a little while.
Container ships can be a huge help. They aren't great for living quarters, but a ship with thousands of 40-foot containers can hold enough supplies - food, medicine, clothing, etc. - to help people survive for a while. But they won't last forever.
Problem # 1 - Fuel
Fuel is a BIG problem. If you have a global flood, you can't drill for oil, dig for coal - and even if you can, a refinery takes above-water facilities that you simply don't have. Solar energy isn't nearly enough because you don't have large areas for solar panels or other collectors - in fact, you are likely building up, not out, in general - look at a typical cruise ship for an example.
Nuclear power from your aircraft carriers will help for few years, but it is limited in both time & capacity.
If there is enough planning from the nuclear-capable countries - e.g., US, Russia, France, Japan - then you can build a bunch of naval reactors (i.e., like the US aircraft carriers & submarines use) and mine/process as much uranium as possible to, hopefully, provide power for a group of large ships for several decades. If not, then fuel will be a big problem.
Problem # 2: Food
I hope everyone likes fish & seaweed. Every little boat becomes a fishing boat. Every day they spread out to the surrounding area and throw out their nets and collect what they can. At the end of the day they head back to the mother ship and have fresh fish for dinner. Everything else can be stockpiled but really won't last long. A fish/seaweed diet is likely to be low in a number of vital vitamins and minerals - think Vitamin C/scurvy - so a stockpile of key vitamins and other nutrients will be critical.
Problem # 3: Security
Pirates will be everywhere. Only the largest countries or the largest private organizations will have self-sufficient (though all time-limited) "cities". Plenty of people will grab their guns and their boats and when they get hungry...watch out. A destroyer equipped for battle can easily stop enemy boats. An aircraft carrier or cruise ship teeming with refugees has a harder time, plus the big guns will run out of ammunition before the pirates do. No home base to call for support.
Problem # 4: Everything Else!
Supplies of everything will be limited. No factories producing clothing and electronics in China. No factories producing medicine in the US. Unlike many other global disaster scenarios, no scavenging of supplies from abandoned cities.
End result - doomed!
Too many variables to say for sure, but my guess is that:
- Largest "cities", on the order of 10,000 - 20,000 people - decimated within 10 years due to lack of fuel, food and supplies.
- Smaller "towns", on the order of 100 - 1,000 people - most will not last long at all, but some (private "towns" funded by billionaires) will be well planned, well stocked and last for decades if disease doesn't kill them off.
- Small groups - pirates, families, etc. - < 100 people - will have big problems surviving more than a few years due to lack of infrastructure (medical support, mechanical repairs, etc.)
In short, doomed.
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
How much is it flooded?
A Noah-style flood went over the highest mountains. Ignoring the scientific plausibility (which is easy-enough to do when you have either religion or a science fiction/fantasy author involved), this is a LOT of water. But unless/until you revise the question, I will assume that you are dealing with a flood of that magnitude, as opposed to a more plausible global-warming-all-ice-melts flooding of a couple hundred feet. A couple hundred feet is enough to do a lot of damage, but is not nearly as bad (as explained below) as a Noah-style flood.
- Assumption # 1: Noah-style global flood that covers all land.
- Assumption # 2: Reasonable warning/planning time, perhaps 10 - 50 years of gradual (but unending) melting, rainstorms, etc.
Start with big ships
If you start with an US aircraft carrier (which has been used in many science fiction novels that I have read) then you have a nice big platform for building on and a nuclear power plant to supply power for a while.
If you start with a cruise ship then you have living quarters for thousands of people with all the amenities.
Take either (or both) of these and link up plenty of smaller ships, boats, rafts, etc. and you can safely house thousands of people. Add a hospital ship and you have medical taken care of, at least for a little while.
Container ships can be a huge help. They aren't great for living quarters, but a ship with thousands of 40-foot containers can hold enough supplies - food, medicine, clothing, etc. - to help people survive for a while. But they won't last forever.
Problem # 1 - Fuel
Fuel is a BIG problem. If you have a global flood, you can't drill for oil, dig for coal - and even if you can, a refinery takes above-water facilities that you simply don't have. Solar energy isn't nearly enough because you don't have large areas for solar panels or other collectors - in fact, you are likely building up, not out, in general - look at a typical cruise ship for an example.
Nuclear power from your aircraft carriers will help for few years, but it is limited in both time & capacity.
If there is enough planning from the nuclear-capable countries - e.g., US, Russia, France, Japan - then you can build a bunch of naval reactors (i.e., like the US aircraft carriers & submarines use) and mine/process as much uranium as possible to, hopefully, provide power for a group of large ships for several decades. If not, then fuel will be a big problem.
Problem # 2: Food
I hope everyone likes fish & seaweed. Every little boat becomes a fishing boat. Every day they spread out to the surrounding area and throw out their nets and collect what they can. At the end of the day they head back to the mother ship and have fresh fish for dinner. Everything else can be stockpiled but really won't last long. A fish/seaweed diet is likely to be low in a number of vital vitamins and minerals - think Vitamin C/scurvy - so a stockpile of key vitamins and other nutrients will be critical.
Problem # 3: Security
Pirates will be everywhere. Only the largest countries or the largest private organizations will have self-sufficient (though all time-limited) "cities". Plenty of people will grab their guns and their boats and when they get hungry...watch out. A destroyer equipped for battle can easily stop enemy boats. An aircraft carrier or cruise ship teeming with refugees has a harder time, plus the big guns will run out of ammunition before the pirates do. No home base to call for support.
Problem # 4: Everything Else!
Supplies of everything will be limited. No factories producing clothing and electronics in China. No factories producing medicine in the US. Unlike many other global disaster scenarios, no scavenging of supplies from abandoned cities.
End result - doomed!
Too many variables to say for sure, but my guess is that:
- Largest "cities", on the order of 10,000 - 20,000 people - decimated within 10 years due to lack of fuel, food and supplies.
- Smaller "towns", on the order of 100 - 1,000 people - most will not last long at all, but some (private "towns" funded by billionaires) will be well planned, well stocked and last for decades if disease doesn't kill them off.
- Small groups - pirates, families, etc. - < 100 people - will have big problems surviving more than a few years due to lack of infrastructure (medical support, mechanical repairs, etc.)
In short, doomed.
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
How much is it flooded?
A Noah-style flood went over the highest mountains. Ignoring the scientific plausibility (which is easy-enough to do when you have either religion or a science fiction/fantasy author involved), this is a LOT of water. But unless/until you revise the question, I will assume that you are dealing with a flood of that magnitude, as opposed to a more plausible global-warming-all-ice-melts flooding of a couple hundred feet. A couple hundred feet is enough to do a lot of damage, but is not nearly as bad (as explained below) as a Noah-style flood.
- Assumption # 1: Noah-style global flood that covers all land.
- Assumption # 2: Reasonable warning/planning time, perhaps 10 - 50 years of gradual (but unending) melting, rainstorms, etc.
Start with big ships
If you start with an US aircraft carrier (which has been used in many science fiction novels that I have read) then you have a nice big platform for building on and a nuclear power plant to supply power for a while.
If you start with a cruise ship then you have living quarters for thousands of people with all the amenities.
Take either (or both) of these and link up plenty of smaller ships, boats, rafts, etc. and you can safely house thousands of people. Add a hospital ship and you have medical taken care of, at least for a little while.
Container ships can be a huge help. They aren't great for living quarters, but a ship with thousands of 40-foot containers can hold enough supplies - food, medicine, clothing, etc. - to help people survive for a while. But they won't last forever.
Problem # 1 - Fuel
Fuel is a BIG problem. If you have a global flood, you can't drill for oil, dig for coal - and even if you can, a refinery takes above-water facilities that you simply don't have. Solar energy isn't nearly enough because you don't have large areas for solar panels or other collectors - in fact, you are likely building up, not out, in general - look at a typical cruise ship for an example.
Nuclear power from your aircraft carriers will help for few years, but it is limited in both time & capacity.
If there is enough planning from the nuclear-capable countries - e.g., US, Russia, France, Japan - then you can build a bunch of naval reactors (i.e., like the US aircraft carriers & submarines use) and mine/process as much uranium as possible to, hopefully, provide power for a group of large ships for several decades. If not, then fuel will be a big problem.
Problem # 2: Food
I hope everyone likes fish & seaweed. Every little boat becomes a fishing boat. Every day they spread out to the surrounding area and throw out their nets and collect what they can. At the end of the day they head back to the mother ship and have fresh fish for dinner. Everything else can be stockpiled but really won't last long. A fish/seaweed diet is likely to be low in a number of vital vitamins and minerals - think Vitamin C/scurvy - so a stockpile of key vitamins and other nutrients will be critical.
Problem # 3: Security
Pirates will be everywhere. Only the largest countries or the largest private organizations will have self-sufficient (though all time-limited) "cities". Plenty of people will grab their guns and their boats and when they get hungry...watch out. A destroyer equipped for battle can easily stop enemy boats. An aircraft carrier or cruise ship teeming with refugees has a harder time, plus the big guns will run out of ammunition before the pirates do. No home base to call for support.
Problem # 4: Everything Else!
Supplies of everything will be limited. No factories producing clothing and electronics in China. No factories producing medicine in the US. Unlike many other global disaster scenarios, no scavenging of supplies from abandoned cities.
End result - doomed!
Too many variables to say for sure, but my guess is that:
- Largest "cities", on the order of 10,000 - 20,000 people - decimated within 10 years due to lack of fuel, food and supplies.
- Smaller "towns", on the order of 100 - 1,000 people - most will not last long at all, but some (private "towns" funded by billionaires) will be well planned, well stocked and last for decades if disease doesn't kill them off.
- Small groups - pirates, families, etc. - < 100 people - will have big problems surviving more than a few years due to lack of infrastructure (medical support, mechanical repairs, etc.)
In short, doomed.
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
edited 2 hours ago
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
answered 2 hours ago
manassehkatz
2,706320
2,706320
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
You have to become a "space faring" civilization.
I don't mean that you have to build spaceships and escape the planet. Instead, you have to be able to develop the same technologies required to establish long-term colonies on the moon, mars or to build interstellar generational ships. (That's why I placed "space faring" in quotes).
Basically, all the problems mentioned in manassehkatz's response can only be solved if your civilization has already mastered (or has come close to mastering) the technological hurdles required to survive in harsh, enclosed, and limited-resource environments. This translates to developing efficient means of food production (e.g. hydroponics) and waste recycling. Reliance on 3D printing for nearly all manufacturing, and energy would have to be harvested from renewable means in the long run (solar, wind, tidal forces). This, in turn, would help stabilize your society and minimize the need for criminal enterprises such as piracy.
Acquiring raw materials would be harder, so either proper preparations were made before the cataclysm and/or means were devised to "mine" materials from flooded cities (as in, demolish a skyscraper or large building and extract its steel and other rare materials). The last item to watch for is population control: limiting births to two per family would be sufficient to keep a population stable long term.
Ironically, if such a civilization already has such technology available, they are most likely well underway in establishing off-world lunar, martian or martian-like outposts. These outposts would likely be placed in a situation where they'd have to try to find ways to help the planet's survivors.
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
You have to become a "space faring" civilization.
I don't mean that you have to build spaceships and escape the planet. Instead, you have to be able to develop the same technologies required to establish long-term colonies on the moon, mars or to build interstellar generational ships. (That's why I placed "space faring" in quotes).
Basically, all the problems mentioned in manassehkatz's response can only be solved if your civilization has already mastered (or has come close to mastering) the technological hurdles required to survive in harsh, enclosed, and limited-resource environments. This translates to developing efficient means of food production (e.g. hydroponics) and waste recycling. Reliance on 3D printing for nearly all manufacturing, and energy would have to be harvested from renewable means in the long run (solar, wind, tidal forces). This, in turn, would help stabilize your society and minimize the need for criminal enterprises such as piracy.
Acquiring raw materials would be harder, so either proper preparations were made before the cataclysm and/or means were devised to "mine" materials from flooded cities (as in, demolish a skyscraper or large building and extract its steel and other rare materials). The last item to watch for is population control: limiting births to two per family would be sufficient to keep a population stable long term.
Ironically, if such a civilization already has such technology available, they are most likely well underway in establishing off-world lunar, martian or martian-like outposts. These outposts would likely be placed in a situation where they'd have to try to find ways to help the planet's survivors.
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
You have to become a "space faring" civilization.
I don't mean that you have to build spaceships and escape the planet. Instead, you have to be able to develop the same technologies required to establish long-term colonies on the moon, mars or to build interstellar generational ships. (That's why I placed "space faring" in quotes).
Basically, all the problems mentioned in manassehkatz's response can only be solved if your civilization has already mastered (or has come close to mastering) the technological hurdles required to survive in harsh, enclosed, and limited-resource environments. This translates to developing efficient means of food production (e.g. hydroponics) and waste recycling. Reliance on 3D printing for nearly all manufacturing, and energy would have to be harvested from renewable means in the long run (solar, wind, tidal forces). This, in turn, would help stabilize your society and minimize the need for criminal enterprises such as piracy.
Acquiring raw materials would be harder, so either proper preparations were made before the cataclysm and/or means were devised to "mine" materials from flooded cities (as in, demolish a skyscraper or large building and extract its steel and other rare materials). The last item to watch for is population control: limiting births to two per family would be sufficient to keep a population stable long term.
Ironically, if such a civilization already has such technology available, they are most likely well underway in establishing off-world lunar, martian or martian-like outposts. These outposts would likely be placed in a situation where they'd have to try to find ways to help the planet's survivors.
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
You have to become a "space faring" civilization.
I don't mean that you have to build spaceships and escape the planet. Instead, you have to be able to develop the same technologies required to establish long-term colonies on the moon, mars or to build interstellar generational ships. (That's why I placed "space faring" in quotes).
Basically, all the problems mentioned in manassehkatz's response can only be solved if your civilization has already mastered (or has come close to mastering) the technological hurdles required to survive in harsh, enclosed, and limited-resource environments. This translates to developing efficient means of food production (e.g. hydroponics) and waste recycling. Reliance on 3D printing for nearly all manufacturing, and energy would have to be harvested from renewable means in the long run (solar, wind, tidal forces). This, in turn, would help stabilize your society and minimize the need for criminal enterprises such as piracy.
Acquiring raw materials would be harder, so either proper preparations were made before the cataclysm and/or means were devised to "mine" materials from flooded cities (as in, demolish a skyscraper or large building and extract its steel and other rare materials). The last item to watch for is population control: limiting births to two per family would be sufficient to keep a population stable long term.
Ironically, if such a civilization already has such technology available, they are most likely well underway in establishing off-world lunar, martian or martian-like outposts. These outposts would likely be placed in a situation where they'd have to try to find ways to help the planet's survivors.
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
edited 13 mins ago
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
answered 50 mins ago
stux
513
513
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Thank you for Accepting my answer. However, the usual process on Worldbuilding (unlike some other StackExchange sites that deal with more concrete "fix my problem" questions) is to wait a while (typically a day or so) to compare answers from different people. Accepting an answer quickly discourages other people from coming up with their own - possibly quite different - answers.
– manassehkatz
2 hours ago