--- title: "UN Warns That Humankind Is Stuck in “Spiral of Self-Destruction”" description: "The United Nations has issued yet another terrifying report about our near future — and readers, we're not in for a good time. " date: "2022-04-26" modified: "2022-04-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/un-spiral-self-destruction" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate" - "natural disasters" - "the digest" - "united nations" --- # UN Warns That Humankind Is Stuck in “Spiral of Self-Destruction” ![The United Nations has issued yet another terrifying report about our near future — and readers, we're not in for a good time. ]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Doomsday The United Nations has issued yet another terrifying report about our near future — and readers, we're not in for a good time. Published every other year, the [UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction]() is tasked with outlining ways humanity can mitigate catastrophic risk. Unsurprisingly, this year's report is telling us that we're living in a hell of our own creation. The report not only found that about 300 and 500 medium-to-large-scale disasters have occurred per year over the past two decades, but also that the number is going to increase to an average of 560 disasters per year by 2030, or roughly 1.5 disasters per day. Often linked to climate change, the report says these increasingly-frequent disasters are being exacerbated by the collective "all is well" posturing from global decision-makers. In a statement, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) blamed "optimism, underestimation and invincibility" for the increasing number and severity of global disasters. "The world needs to do more to incorporate disaster risk in how we live, build and invest, which is setting humanity on a spiral of self-destruction," said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said in the statement. "We must turn our collective complacency to action," Mohammed added. "Together we can slow the rate of preventable disasters as we work to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals for everyone, everywhere." ## Say It Ain't So The good news, as the UNDRR outlined in its report, is that the adoption and implementation of protocols it's suggested previously have already reduced both the number of people killed and the total number of people impacted by disasters over the past decade. "However," the report continues, "the scale and intensity of disasters are increasing, with more people killed or affected by disasters in the last five years than in the previous five." It's certainly grim reading, but this report feels all the more necessary as climate catastrophe continues to ravage our planet before our very eyes. **READ MORE:** [Humanity’s broken risk perception is reversing global progress in a ‘spiral of self-destruction’, finds new UN report]() \[United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction\] **More on the UN:** *[UN Taking Carbon Removal Very, Very Seriously in New Report]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()