The tipping point(s)

As the worst criminal in politics announces a bid to take the US back couple of centuries, it is instructive to think about the tipping points for humanity.

1. The corrupt convinces more than half the populace they are legitimate. This process can be aided by selectively excluding those who will not support them. If successful in this effort, they need less than 40% to get to power. Once in power, they can architect laws that will keep them there forever. The smartest in this game almost did it last time in the US by aiding and abetting a mob who would have eliminated most of the lawmakers. Once there, the devil could have declared emergency and stayed in power. They could use religion or color of the skin to divide and tackle with easy passage to power. If this is done one more time in the US, the country will likely die or progress toward an autocracy worse than North Korea.
2. As the Earth heats, a myriad of non-linear effects combine to create a run-away effect that cannot be reversed. All indications are that we are already past any plausible intervention. Although it is impossible to predict the timing, the Earth needs to settle on a new equilibrium, likely hotter, higher sea level and more fierce hurricanes and typhoons. This will displace large swaths of populations, especially in developing countries. As the massive migration toward the North ensues, those already there are likely to resist. This will lead to battles and wars but the more equipped rich countries will be in a better position to eliminate the threat. At the extreme, this could reduce world population by as much as 30%.
3. It is a miracle that the miserable humans have not been completely wiped out by an asteroid yet. There is still hope as Apophis hurtles toward the blue planet. In less that 7 years, humans could get lucky as they may not have to worry about anything else. At the blink of an eye, they could be reduced to disrupted DNA with nobody surviving. We know of such an event only once in the history of the lonely planet when an advanced organism was completely eliminated.

Three tipping points — a devilish politician taking power, a run away effect on climate and a catastrophic collision with an astroid — are all equally plausible. What you want to do with it is all up to you.