Apocalyptic Scenario - What happens to Bitcoin?

[ulhaq]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

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[Ailmand]

Massive power outage would make bitcoin meaningless since it is stored and used online. People will not have access on it if that happens. So, I think that is one of the risk or disadvantage of bitcoin. 2050 is too far out, there are a lot of things that could happen, not to mention developments and innovation that could happen. So, you don't have to worry too much about the future.

[xvids]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

It is true what they are saying Bitcoin would be worthless in those kind of scenario ,
Just think about it I think even Fiat would be worthless at those scenario's .
The only thing that would be valuable is the consumables .

[CryptoBry]

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

I think it will be food and water and maybe even air that would be valuable in such an apocalyptic and world-changing cataclysm. I don't know what gold will be playing in such a scenario...or any other investment tools they will all be worthless. Yes, maybe guns and ammunition can be important. These things are actually always in the mind of the people categorized as preppers (a person who believes a catastrophic disaster or emergency is likely to occur in the future and makes active preparations for it, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies).

At least if any gloomy scenario can occur, the debate on who and where is Satoshi Nakamoto will officially be stopped and all the bickering and disagreements within and without this industry will finally be forgotten. However, I will really miss this forum.

[hatshepsut93]

If it will happen slowly, Bitcoin will crash hard, as people would be cashing out quickly to get their hands on gold and other hard stores of value. But if it will happen in a moment, people won't even have time to sell BTC, it will become nearly worthless in seconds, and people who hold it might have no access to the Internet for years, or even the rest of their lives.

But this is all is just theorizing, the chance of apocalypse is negligible, and if you'll try to plan your life around it, you'll be just wasting resources on building a bunker, buying supplies, etc. Also, I don't think that even gold will be that useful in that scenario, it's just a piece of shiny metal, what are you going to do with it? And even valuable goods like ammunition and medicine are only valuable if you can protect them, otherwise someone stronger will take them from you.

[Shenzou]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

When such thing happen, there will be not time to think about bitcoin, everyone will be thinking about survival and think of every possible way to keep himself and the people around them safe, and no one will have time or the means to look at bitcoin, but assuming that some people will still have access to the internet will see that bitcoin will have no value because there is 0 demand and if there is no demand the value will just go down and bitcoin will no longer exists.

[omone1]

In such scenario, the whole of our planet and the human connectivity will be in total chaos, and nothing will work for a while, our system both digital and traditional will be in trouble. So not only the bitcoin is going to be affected. Both such won't happen now, it's reserved for the future.

[Fred3030]

Bitcoin as we all know is a digital currency hence its use age depends on electronic devices which certainly are on power. If there be a to talk blackout as a result of an Apocalypse, truth be told digital currencies such as bitcoin will  seize to exist with all due respect to the tech behind it and traditional assets will be the majors means of exchange.

[Ailmand]

In such scenario, the whole of our planet and the human connectivity will be in total chaos, and nothing will work for a while, our system both digital and traditional will be in trouble. So not only the bitcoin is going to be affected. Both such won't happen now, it's reserved for the future.

Everyrhing will adjust and go back to square one. People will less focus on technology, focus on life and living, we will go back to how we do thing traditionally (communications, trade, business, etc.). This might be a good reset for all of us.  

[kryptqnick]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

I think that in that case Bitcoin, any fiat or gold will be worthless. In any apocalyptic scenario or even a situation that is somehow close to it, what matters is the things that are of real value for survival plus things a lot of people are very used to. Weapons for protection, food that doesn't go bad without fridges and stays edible for a long time, drinking water, maybe warm clothes if we are talking about cold climate. Apart from that, I'd name alcohol and cigarettes as things that might work as a 'currency' in many situations. Bitcoin is characters, they don't get you fed or warm. Fiat is just coins and papers, gold is also not very useful for survival. The value can restore if humanity makes it through these difficult times and recovers technologically.

[gentlemand]

It would be complete and utter charcoal black toast.

The gold hoarders would also get a rude awakening when people laughed in their face when trying to hand over a useless lump of metal in return for food, medical supplies or weapons.

All currencies are abstractions and luxuries allowed by functioning societies. When they stop functioning the stuff that keeps you alive suddenly becomes rather more desirable.

If we're talking proper collapse it may take generations before the idea of something like BTC is viable or of interest again, or it may never return to that.

[leonair]

You have a great point there though, it's true that Bitcoin has a great store of value and what it shows as of the moment but it's dependent on electricity and Internet which can be destroyed intentionally in the future by world war 3 or other force majeure but it's intangible and we must not full rely on it because we are still living in our physical world and not virtually.

Modernization always happen and I positively think that this kind of situation will be resolve in the future or as early as now there are projects that are especially for this kind of scenario.

[Genemind]

Everything comes to an end but since our generation is relying too much on developing technology, I believe that Bitcoin would still go far. It's not yet the right time for us to doubt about it. People will still do something for the survival of cryptocurrency since it plays a vital role in the economic growth of most countries.

[gentlemand]

Everything comes to an end but since our generation is relying too much on developing technology, I believe that Bitcoin would still go far. It's not yet the right time for us to doubt about it. People will still do something for the survival of cryptocurrency since it plays a vital role in the economic growth of most countries.

It's always struck me as nuts that they'll make school children study 17th century lesbians for weeks on end but won't devote 5-10 hours on teaching them how to light a fire, use a compass, navigate by the stars or identify edible plants. That turns you from a vegetable to someone vaguely capable of coping for a little while if things go tits up for a bit.

[figmentofmyass]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

there are too many variables at play. if we're talking about 3+ decades away the possibilities are endless. even if the centralized power grid is disabled, it's possible localized/renewable energy technology will be much more distributed and prevalent by then. it's also possible that p2p mesh networks and other decentralized communications technologies will have already begun replacing the centralized internet infrastructure. in other words, bitcoin may be much less dependent on centralized power and internet infrastructure than today. if that's the case then my biggest concern is the massive hash rate drop on day 0.

in the "walking dead zombie apocalypse" scenario where few humans are left and we are restricted to the infrastructure of 2010, yes bitcoin is probably useless. but in more nuanced situations, the answer becomes more interesting to ponder.

[pixie85]

If we get hit by EMP we'll have more problems to worry about like our cars not working and all our food getting spoiled because fridges everywhere will be offline. Think of the damages. In a real apocalypse you won't need money. People will be trading food and medical supplies alcohol and tobacco. Nobody will worry about the Internet and virtual currencies.

[Oceat]

Let's start it from the start since the apocalyptic scenario is the result of what people doing today will reflect them by tomorrow. This is what we called a domino effect, everything is interconnected somehow.
So, do you think people will keep doing what they were doing today if the future result is already showing today?

Somehow if we ever come to that point then the use of any kind of money is not valuable at all since it is all in chaos.

[Mike Mayor]

lol. The world almost ends and you worried about bitcoin? This is silly. Nothing will be worth anything. Food and weapons would be worth the most. I don't know why gold would be worth anything you can't eat it.
Things like petrol will have great value. Tabacco and stuff like that. Maybe gold and gems would have a place it just depends how "bad" an apocalypse is? If it is really bad then gold would mean nothing.

Let's start it from the start since the apocalyptic scenario is the result of what people doing today will reflect them by tomorrow. This is what we called a domino effect, everything is interconnected somehow.
So, do you think people will keep doing what they were doing today if the future result is already showing today?

Somehow if we ever come to that point then the use of any kind of money is not valuable at all since it is all in chaos.

Yeah as soon as the internet goes down all hell will break lose. No stop lights would work there would be total darkness and no warmth. This sounds very much like a movie though.

[fortunecrypto]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

That's one of the scenarios that can make Bitcoin useless if there is no power, then there would be no internet and if there is no internet then there will be no transactions, I agree that climate change is a big issue in our generation but so many things are been doing to combat this, and if we want to continue using Bitcoin and support cryptocurrency, we should all in one to protect our climate.

[tsaroz]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

Bitcoin is highly depended on internet.
If there is internet, Bitcoin would be much more popular as it is a hassle free value transfer but if we lost our internet connection, Bitcoin along with other online form of currencies would die and precious metals like gold and powerful tools and food would of course be of great value.
If bitcoin is to survive, it should devise a way to prove the transaction without proving it through internet which is impossible with current technology.

[Nalbo]

There's no way of verifying a transaction without an internet. No centralized valuation would work. People would revert back to goods to goods exchange. There would be no capital and the one who produces are the rich ones. There would be no jobs as now and everyone would revert back to farming, herding or being iron smith.

[Baofeng]

Of course, worst case scenario, bitcoin will be hit hard if there are no proper infrastructure i.e. power, electricity and internet. But people are resilient, they could think a better way to circumvent in this kind of scenario. Of course gold will be the only option, just look at how gold becomes so important in wars specially WWII. However, as I have said, people will find ways in this setup, and I think bitcoin will still be used to exchange as means of money.

[pooya87]

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable.

in your apocalyptic scenario, ask yourself this:
can you eat gold, bitcoin,...? can it keep you warm at night? can it protect you against intruders?
you see when there is a disaster as you describe, there is no society anymore and concept of money will no longer exist so anything that has been used as money will cease to exist and barter system will replace it. barter means you give food and receive ammunition for protection and things like that.

[princesspoppy]

If there will be no internet and electricity in that apocalyptic scenario that will lead us to chaos if that future is to come,  then bitcoin will have no value at all.  People will not be able to have access and will not be able to make transactions out of it.  It will be useless.  Traditional currency will be used to trade goods not gold and bitcoins.

[CryptoBry]

There's no way of verifying a transaction without an internet. No centralized valuation would work. People would revert back to goods to goods exchange. There would be no capital and the one who produces are the rich ones. There would be no jobs as now and everyone would revert back to farming, herding or being iron smith.

That is, if we are still alive by then. I am sure that life as we know it right now would screech to a halt and yes we can go back to the very basics where we produce our own foods in order to survive under a very difficult condition. Of course, by then, let's hope that there is already the popular way of sending bitcoin offline but still we need to have power (if the sun still good it can provide this essential element) but then again money may not be that important in the next few years for people left alive and surviving.  Let's just hope this scenario will fail to become a reality.

[ulhaq]

Was it blockstream that was launching satellites into space? So maybe the bitcoin network will be more resilient than people think.

The consensus is that gold is worthless as well. But as society recovers, possibly bitcoin value will surpass gold because of the ability to easily transfer it? If there is no recovery, then many things will be useless. 

[YuginKadoya]

Was it blockstream that was launching satellites into space? So maybe the bitcoin network will be more resilient than people think.

The consensus is that gold is worthless as well. But as society recovers, possibly bitcoin value will surpass gold because of the ability to easily transfer it? If there is no recovery, then many things will be useless. 

Yup! and I think it is still in progress, And their primary goal was for people that don't have an internet connection and another way to download its full node or maybe this is another solution if a cataclysmic event may happen to really secure the digital money in my opinion,

I think this is the link for the article https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-in-space-it-helps-with-connection-woes-says-blockstreams-adam-back

Well if that Apocalyptic thing may happen and all sudden surge of an electromagnetic pulse to damage all electrical devices and mostly internet connection I guess one solution is what Blockstream is trying to do, But that is a large project and will need a lot of financial assistance.

[Kakmakr]

Ok, ask yourself this question : What will happen to the traditional Banking system when a massive electromagnetic pulses hits earth and knock out all communication and electronic devices? The Stock markets will collapse for a while and the ATMs and Banks will not be accessible until spare parts can be sourced to repair them.

Emergency procedures are already in place to restore basic communication, when things like this happens. Some data storage are done on non-magnetic storage media. Some tinfoil hats out there also use a faraday cage to protect their devices from such an event. 

[imstillthebest]

There's no way of verifying a transaction without an internet. No centralized valuation would work. People would revert back to goods to goods exchange. There would be no capital and the one who produces are the rich ones. There would be no jobs as now and everyone would revert back to farming, herding or being iron smith.

you can verify a transaction without an internet , that is the same as when you verify a signed message using an wallet/app  . I heard that you can also use your cryptos without internet but in the form of hotspot wifi but this should be done in a specific range  . And how can you say that there will be no jobs without internet ?  Cant you see before people still have a job even if internet is not invented a long time ago  .

[Betwrong]

Alright, let's imagine a situation when the strength of electric field  is below 200 kV/m (Kilovolts per meter), which is more or less safe for humans. Yes, most part of electrical equipment will fail to continue operating, but not all equipment will be damaged. Electrical devices situated in shielded basements will survive (and we know that there are a lot of such basements around the world). Now, the price of Bitcoin will certainly drop to the level below 2 pizzas for 10,000 BTC, but I'm sure some people will be still mining almost empty blocks on their laptops, just in case. They will be able to do that on their laptops because the difficulty will drop to the appropriate level. Then during the first 2-3 years after the catastrophe Bitcoin, of course, will be worthless, as many have pointed out in this thread. But when things will begin to improve, Bitcoin may appear the most suitable currency for such a world.

[figmentofmyass]

Now, the price of Bitcoin will certainly drop to the level below 2 pizzas for 10,000 BTC, but I'm sure some people will be still mining almost empty blocks on their laptops, just in case. They will be able to do that on their laptops because the difficulty will drop to the appropriate level.

that assumes the network will reach the next difficulty adjustment. let's say the event occurs shortly after the last retarget. if the only machines left mining are laptops, the hash rate may drop so drastically that the network will never reach the next difficulty adjustment. the network could literally grind to a halt.

[Chikitita2004]

In an apocalyptic event, nothing will be more valuable, not even life. Everyone will be after their own safety and good. That will be a time of chaos and even your millions of dollars in banks can also be worthless and useless. Internet could be interrupted and could be scarce as well and since bitcoin is dependent on internet so there will be no use of it and not even buying and selling.

[damberg]

Since you cannot "write" Bitcoin on paper, massive power outage, near apocalyptic scenario would make Bitcoin redundant. However, turmoil in different parts of the world could lead to higher Bitcoin prices (of course nobody wishes for such atrocities).

[smyslov]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value, especially in unfavorable circumstances.

All wars that come render fiat almost useless if there is a catastrophe and there were a power outage, that could be the end of Bitcoin because Bitcoin is internet based, some countries that are not affected can confirm the transactions, but volume and the price will dramatically decrease, people will be in a hurry to dump and buy essentials with their fiat money.

[davis196]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

This has been discussed many times before.
If a global apocalypse happens,nobody would care about bitcoin or cryptocurrencies.
There will be a battle for survival,where food,water,simple tools and maybe weapons will have the higher value.

[pushups44]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

One very real possibility, albeit small, is for a giant asteroid to strike the Earth and take us back to the Dark Age. In this scenario even gold would be worthless, because the most basic need will be food and water. You need a relatively sophisticated society for gold to be used as a medium of exchange. I imagine this would also be the case if the electrical grid shut down - the top commodities would be food and water. Anyway, absolutely nothing is a guarantee, including the very existence of man.

[coin-investor]

There's no way of verifying a transaction without an internet. No centralized valuation would work. People would revert back to goods to goods exchange. There would be no capital and the one who produces are the rich ones. There would be no jobs as now and everyone would revert back to farming, herding or being iron smith.

That's what eventually will happen without the internet, I spend my adult life without the internet and because I cannot trade anymore I will have to find jobs or get into jobs that are not related to cryptocurrency it's like back in the 90's without the internet.

[Ucy]

Nothing much will happen unless the disaster happens on a global scale and hitting every inch of our planet.

I doubt Gold and other precious metals would worth much. Foods, medicine, information, basic technologies will worth alot.


If bitcoin blockchain survives, it will most likely be an alternative to bartering.  There will be lots of leaderless groups of survivors or even  communities after thw global disaster and there main medium of exchanges will likely be barter or Bitcoin. . .  It is leaderless, not large physically, fairly fast, global, decentralized and immutable unlike fiat and its large centralized servers.

[dothebeats]

The most important commodity of all during those times would probably be oil, generator, batteries and other forms of energy to generate electricity. Cash would still be king, gold too, as for bitcoin, well, we don't know whether people will still cling on to the value of that after the said event. Most likely people will live like the times of pre-Industrial Revolution where electricity isn't widely spread out yet. For sure this will not trigger a post-apocalyptic, chaotic scene like those seen on movies and video games; governments would still be functional, it's just that we're lacking on the luxury of electronic devices and the comfort of stable homes.

So yeah, I don't think bitcoin would hold value by then.

[Nolimitz84]

In such scenario, the whole of our planet and the human connectivity will be in total chaos, and nothing will work for a while, our system both digital and traditional will be in trouble. So not only the bitcoin is going to be affected. Both such won't happen now, it's reserved for the future.

I don't think we should have bad thoughts.Thoughts materialize.If we assume that the Apocalypse really happens,the interest in bitcoin will certainly disappear.People will need food,water and medicine.

[BeManga]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

2050 is really to far and its better to look in the future in a positive way
its only a possibility and we have more years to come to prevent it from happening

[bhabygrim]

When an apocalyptic scenario happens why would people care about stuff like crypto?
Of course they would prioritize what would save them or help them survive .
So crypto would be ignored and be meaningless to people.

[muratsink]

You are right.  in the end only gold and silver will have high value.  in the near future fiat will disappear, and the popularity of crypto and BTC currencies will develop well.  In my opinion.  BTC and crypto are only for storing assets in a short time.  after the internet is gone, BTC will have no value.

[Mike Mayor]

What happens to the value of bitcoin in an apocalyptic scenario? Eg, if the world starts getting hit with electromagnetic pulses which knock out power, or let's say the report that came out a few days ago is true, that civilization as we know it deteriorates by 2050 due to mass migration from climate change.

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable. On the other hand it has been claimed that bitcoin requires very little infrastructure and would work much better than other things. If bitcoin is truly a store of value, then it should store value especially in unfavorable circumstances.

2050 is really to far and its better to look in the future in a positive way
its only a possibility and we have more years to come to prevent it from happening

Yes always focus on the positive. Hopefully, we as a human race fix things before they get that bad. We might not, we may destroy this planet and be forced to live elsewhere.

You are right.  in the end only gold and silver will have high value.  in the near future fiat will disappear, and the popularity of crypto and BTC currencies will develop well.  In my opinion.  BTC and crypto are only for storing assets in a short time.  after the internet is gone, BTC will have no value.

How can you say bitcoin is for short term storing? The currency will evolve. I have held my crypto for years.

[Dapper]

Food, water, guns and ammo will be the new gold.   And there will be many people complaining about how it's unfair that the whales are controlling the price of Cheerios.    

 

[Slow death]

Many claim that bitcoin will be worthless and gold, guns, and ammunition will be very valuable.

2050 is almost 30 years from now... just imagine what will change 30 years from now

the weapons will be more modern; the extraction of gold will probably be done with modern equipment and will be heavily controlled by governments to avoid pollution. The technology will be much more evolved and will benefit bitcoin, so the biggest winner in my opinion will be bitcoin.

[Betwrong]

Now, the price of Bitcoin will certainly drop to the level below 2 pizzas for 10,000 BTC, but I'm sure some people will be still mining almost empty blocks on their laptops, just in case. They will be able to do that on their laptops because the difficulty will drop to the appropriate level.

that assumes the network will reach the next difficulty adjustment. let's say the event occurs shortly after the last retarget. if the only machines left mining are laptops, the hash rate may drop so drastically that the network will never reach the next difficulty adjustment. the network could literally grind to a halt.

Great point! Indeed it can take forever to mine another block with the difficulty that was set before the event, let alone something around 2,000 blocks. So, I think then we can only hope that some ASICs will survive the catastrophe and hence the needed 2016 blocks will be eventually mined, maybe not in two weeks but in 20 weeks, but still. Another possibility would be a manual retargeting, but I'm not sure if that is technically possible.

Also this

A single retarget never changes the target by more than a factor of 4 either way to prevent large changes in difficulty.

can be a problem if manual adjustment is out of question.