Climate change could have wiped out alien civilizations and may be on the way to wipe out mankind, too, a new study has suggested. Using simulations based on information about the fate of now extinct civilizations such as that of the Easter Island, the team, led by astrophysics professor Adam Frank, found that it may well be the case that climate change compromises the sustainability of any civilization. The authors developed four scenarios based on mathematical models, all but one suggesting climate change wipes out civilizations unless it is reined in. Under the first scenario, tellingly named “Die-Off”, the rise in global temperatures is mirrored by a decline in global population. Under the “Collapse without resource change” scenario, a sharp increase in temperature followed by a plateau would lead to an equally sharp drop in the global population, ending with extinction as the temperature plateaus at much higher levels. […]