# New Human-Made Risks Cannot Be Judged by Ancient Survival by Martin Rees > “Existential risks receive disproportionately little serious attention. Some would dismiss such concerns as an exaggerated jeremiad: after all, human societies have survived for millennia, despite storms, earthquakes, and pestilence. But these human-induced threats are different: they are newly emergent, so we have a limited timebase for exposure to them and can’t be so sanguine that we would survive them for long—or about the ability of governments to cope if disaster strikes.” > **— Martin Rees**, *Risking it all in Anthropocene era, Korea JoongAng Daily, 2013* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication and full context:** [Risking it all in Anthropocene era](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2013/03/11/columns/Risking-it-all-in-Anthropocene-era/2968397.html) — The linked publication contains the quoted passage and its surrounding argument. - **Master research record:** [[research/Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future|Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future]] — preserves this object inside the open Martin Rees source dossier. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Cannot Un-Strike the Match|We Cannot Un-Strike the Match]] - **Article:** [[articles/Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse|Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Existential Risk|Existential Risk]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Existential Risk|Existential Risk]] - [[wiki/Technological Risk|Technological Risk]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Existential risks receive disproportionately little serious attention. Some would dismiss such concerns as an exaggerated jeremiad: after all, human societies have survived for millennia, despite storms, earthquakes, and pestilence. But these human-induced threats are different: they are newly emergent, so we have a limited timebase for exposure to them and can’t be so sanguine that we would survive them for long—or about the ability of governments to cope if disaster strikes.” — Martin Rees, Risking it all in Anthropocene era, Korea JoongAng Daily, 2013 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-martin-rees-new-human-made-risks-cannot ```