ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Existential risk

An existential risk is a type of risk that could end human life on Earth or perhaps even cause human extinction. It might come from something like a large asteroid hitting Earth, a huge volcano erupting, a drastic change in the climate due to global warming, or an accident with a nuclear weapon. In other words, an existential risk is a risk of something very bad happening that could lead to a lot of people dying or even the end of humanity.