Does existential, especially existential threat, have a meaning or is it an extra word used by pompous people trying to appear smart and important?

[Kelley1]

[blueonblack22]

Depends on the context and what the word is being attributed to.

One thing I am getting is extremely fed up with is that “climate change” is an “existential threat”. Every time there is a natural disaster you constantly hear the mass media bringing up “climate change, climate change”.

Little known fact that global cooling (not warming) was a major concern by scientists back in the 70s. Then in the 90s it changed to global warming. But now it’s “climate change”. Why aren’t they calling it global warming anymore? Because back between 2007-2010 there was a brief global cooling period. Now it’s an ambiguous “climate change” label

That doesn’t mean I don’t think manmade greenhouse gases aren’t having an impact. But it’s not as simple as Down syndrome “climate change” activist simpletons want to make it out to be. I also do NOT believe it’s an “existential” crisis.

[Syntosi]

When someone says "Existential threat" that means its a threat to somethings existence. If we talk about a person then that means they are at risk of dying. If we talk about the planet, well that means the planet (or the life on that planet) has a chance of dying or going extinct.

That is a useful distinction from just saying a threat since something can be a threat without being a threat to your life.

[Kelley1]

Very good. Thank you.

[Dongie]

Well, I should say both. When the politicians started slinging it around I was prone to throwing up. But I've seen a couple use it on here but I see it as their attempt to put forth a more precise description of the freaks in d. c.

[exitseven]

Yes, i hate that expression , it is just a BS word people use to make it sound more important. Mostly used by moonbats.

[msc545]

An existential threat is a threat to the existence or survival of a people. Nothing pompous about it.

[TallAnon]

A threat on the scale that it threatens our existance.

[Dongie]

Existance as in an ELE? Or as in their control on power to truly threaten life on earth?

[BoobMan]

Kind of hilarious to see where global warming falls on that list.

[Kelley1]

It should be lower.

[RedInnocent69]

Yes. It goes to the destructive power of the threat.

[eagle1951]

i'll go with smart