“I do not know what weapons would war three will be fought with, but world war four will be fought with sticks and stones.” -Albert Einstein

It would be fair to assume that World War 3 could be the war to end the world despite all the progress humanity has made. Development in weapons has evolved so much now that singular bombs can wipe out entire cities. Militaries are starting to develop sci-fi lasers. Many people fear World War 3 due to how destructive it would be, but many also believe its existence would be impossible. It would be nice to believe that there will only ever be two world wars, but there are many hypothetical ways that World War 3 could ignite.

One trigger for World War 3 could be the conflicts surrounding Russia and Ukraine. Although it is very unlikely this evolves into a world war, it’s still not impossible that it lights the fuse. What happens if Russia conquers Ukraine? Do they continue their high and start conquering more nations? What happens once one of the allies of the endangered nation steps in? There’s a chance it could spiral out of control, leading to a conflict that engulfs the world.

Another trigger could be the world’s growing population. Now more than ever humanity’s global population is rising despite the fact that people are starting to have second thoughts about having children. Humanity is growing but our resources aren’t. Of course, the earth is very resource rich right now, but that’s not going to last forever. It could be 20 years into the future, 50 years, 100 years, or more, but eventually, the earth could dry up. When countries start to go hungry, there’s a good chance that they will attack neighboring nations for their resources, leading to another potential world war.

The last trigger could be our world’s economics. In today’s global economy, the economies of different countries are highly interconnected, and a major economic crisis in one part of the world could have ripple effects that lead to conflict in other parts of the world. If a global financial crisis were to happen, it could lead to another world war. It is difficult to predict exactly what might trigger World War 3, but it is clear that the potential for such a conflict exists. It is important for our world leaders to be proactive in addressing potential sources of global conflict and that they work towards preventing them.