- 24 Jul 2003 19:58
#19268
" I don't see any real problem. The world's population has always been increasing, and we have always just found more space. I'm not worried "
Haha
Something we don't understand: how humans are connected to other species...
I can tell you a few things, such as:
--the carrying capacity (the number of individuals that can be sustainably supported) of the Earth for us is 120 million people... when you surpass that capacity, you are borrowing from the future to pay for excesses today.
--there are 6 billion people on the planet, which means we have surpassed the carrying capacity by 5000%
--the Earth has a "buffer capacity" that is obviously pretty good, from our point of view, which means looking ahead 5 years...
--you should be very happy that 8 million children each year die before their first birthday-- this means we can sustain our overconsumption for a bit longer
--every 20 minutes, another 3500 humans are added to the planet, and in the same time, one more species goes extinct... this means 27,000 species gone forever each year...
Population:
1830: 1 billion
1930: 2 billion (60 years to add a billion)
1960: 3 billion (30 years to add a billion)
1975: 4 billion (15 years to add a billion)
1986: 5 billion (11 years to add a billion)
1999: 6 billion (13 years to add a billion)
So, it seems, we are slowing down adding on the billions (or levelled off)... part of it is that 800 million people will go to sleep tonight starving, not knowing where their next meal is coming from...
Even if 98% of the population disappeared RIGHT NOW, we have borrowed too much for far too long... and I say this not because I'm a pessimist, but because I am a realist...
The facts are there for anyone to see.
Haha
Something we don't understand: how humans are connected to other species...
I can tell you a few things, such as:
--the carrying capacity (the number of individuals that can be sustainably supported) of the Earth for us is 120 million people... when you surpass that capacity, you are borrowing from the future to pay for excesses today.
--there are 6 billion people on the planet, which means we have surpassed the carrying capacity by 5000%
--the Earth has a "buffer capacity" that is obviously pretty good, from our point of view, which means looking ahead 5 years...
--you should be very happy that 8 million children each year die before their first birthday-- this means we can sustain our overconsumption for a bit longer
--every 20 minutes, another 3500 humans are added to the planet, and in the same time, one more species goes extinct... this means 27,000 species gone forever each year...
Population:
1830: 1 billion
1930: 2 billion (60 years to add a billion)
1960: 3 billion (30 years to add a billion)
1975: 4 billion (15 years to add a billion)
1986: 5 billion (11 years to add a billion)
1999: 6 billion (13 years to add a billion)
So, it seems, we are slowing down adding on the billions (or levelled off)... part of it is that 800 million people will go to sleep tonight starving, not knowing where their next meal is coming from...
Even if 98% of the population disappeared RIGHT NOW, we have borrowed too much for far too long... and I say this not because I'm a pessimist, but because I am a realist...
The facts are there for anyone to see.