Study Finds Alien Civilizations Could Self-Destruct Within 1,000 Years

Earth’s rising temperatures and the threats posed by climate change are pressing issues, but new research suggests we might not be the only civilization facing such a fate. A recent model proposes that an advanced alien civilization could drive its planet to uninhabitability due to climate change within just 1,000 years—even when relying on renewable energy.

This research, shared on the arXiv preprint database and awaiting peer review, argues that any civilization undergoing rapid technological and energy expansion will inevitably cause significant planetary warming. This warming occurs regardless of the energy sources used, as energy systems, by the second law of thermodynamics, will always release some heat into the environment. This effect, the study posits, holds true across civilizations, leading to eventual climate destabilization.

Researchers observed that human energy use has surged drastically since the 1800s, with global consumption reaching about 180,000 terawatt hours in 2023—an amount comparable to the solar energy Earth receives. While fossil fuels like gas and coal are major culprits in Earth’s warming, even with renewable sources like wind or solar, the study suggests that the sheer growth in population and energy demand would keep pushing temperatures higher.

Astrophysicist Manasvi Lingam, a co-author of the study, explained that as energy leakage accumulates, it gradually heats the planet, leading to unsustainable levels of climate change. From the start of energy production, it might take less than 1,000 years to make a planet uninhabitable.

The research team also notes that this could explain the lack of detectable extraterrestrial life. A civilization’s survival window could be incredibly short in cosmic terms, as habitable planets require millions of years to develop but could become inhospitable within millennia due to unchecked energy use.

To mitigate this risk, the researchers suggest civilizations should limit growth and live sustainably. Lingam proposed that by maintaining an “equilibrium” with the environment, a civilization could potentially thrive for a billion years.