Back in 2009, Professor Stephen Hawking, the renowned Cambridge
physicist, held a party for time travellers. However, no one came. This has
been taken as evidence that time travel is not possible.
Hawking has said that; “I
have experimental evidence that time travel is not possible”.
The party was held on 28th June 2009
and nobody has retrospectively turned up. However Einstein’s theories do
offer the possibility of travelling backwards in time, according to Stephen
Hawking.
An Alternate Thesis:
The end of the world as we know it
The party
invitation circulated by Stephen Hawking is based on the theory that it would
be read about in the future. However,
there is a flaw in this plan. It assumes that the world as we know it will
survive climate change.
Scientists have been telling us for years that the world is
under threat from catastrophic climate change.
According to Dr James Hansen of NASA, the world could be
heading towards irreversible
tipping points in the climate system, beyond which non-linear impacts are
triggered off such as the die-back of the Amazon rainforest (the lungs of the
planet). Other catastrophic impacts
include the irreversible decline of Arctic sea ice. This could make
much of the planet uninhabitable.
We must also remember that increase CO2
levels also have an impact on mental capacity, reducing cognitive function,
which could perhaps make it near impossible for future scientists to have the
intellect to invent time travel.
Sending a message:
Try a letter to warn us?
According to Stephen Hawking, it might be difficult for a
time traveller to travel back in time because the radiation would be likely to
destroy the vehicle. Hawking said; “"it
is likely that warping would trigger a bolt of radiation that would destroy the
spaceship and maybe the space-time itself"”
However, according to this hypothesis it would be much
easier for something like a message or letter to travel back in time.
Hence, I would suggest that physicists open up new avenues
of communication. Perhaps they should
have a room open, sealed and with cameras, so that future time travellers could
potentially send back a short message into the room whenever they can.
If there is a danger of the world being destroyed, perhaps
future scientists could send back a message that warns us of the coming danger?
This message from the future might have the potential to put
us onto a different track so that countries come together to prevent climate
change and stop the path to destruction.