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Started By
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Earth's carrying capacity, population and consumption trends
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:18 am
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:18 am
We sit at 7+ billion people right now with estimates showing we'll reach 9.5 billion by 2050. Though difficult to truly estimate, most researchers agree that the Earth's carrying capacity is somewhere between 9 and 10 billion.
Presently as a human race we use the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to provide the resources that we use and to absorb our waste. If current population and consumption trends continue, that number will reach 2.0 by 2030.
I'm 26 right now so it'll be interesting to see how we adapt by 2050 when we approach the maximum number of people this planet can sustain. I would like to think technological advances will help to counteract some of this, but I think it's pretty apparent that we need to go through some cultural changes as well.
TLDR: We're screwing like rabbits and rapidly running out of resources to sustain said screwing.
What are your thoughts?
Presently as a human race we use the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to provide the resources that we use and to absorb our waste. If current population and consumption trends continue, that number will reach 2.0 by 2030.
I'm 26 right now so it'll be interesting to see how we adapt by 2050 when we approach the maximum number of people this planet can sustain. I would like to think technological advances will help to counteract some of this, but I think it's pretty apparent that we need to go through some cultural changes as well.
TLDR: We're screwing like rabbits and rapidly running out of resources to sustain said screwing.
What are your thoughts?
48
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:19 am to dualed
Vertical farming will save us
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:25 am to Macintosh504
Where is vertical farming currently being implemented on a mass scale?
It probably goes without saying that we'll likely have to go vegetarian at some point if we don't do anything to mitigate these population concerns. That's why I'll eat the heck out of steak while I can
It probably goes without saying that we'll likely have to go vegetarian at some point if we don't do anything to mitigate these population concerns. That's why I'll eat the heck out of steak while I can
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:26 am to dualed
New World Order plans to have that under control.
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:27 am to dualed
Asia is starting to use it more and more
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:38 am to dualed
Posted on 7/24/16 at 5:39 am to dualed
Maybe we can ask the American Indians to invent some more crops.If it weren't for their genius,most of this world would starve to death.
Posted on 7/24/16 at 6:18 am to dualed
Begin to pump fresh water (via desalinization) into the Saraha Desert.....boom....a zillion more acres of crop land.
Posted on 7/24/16 at 6:19 am to dualed
quote:
Though difficult to truly estimate, most researchers agree that the Earth's carrying capacity is somewhere between 9 and 10 billion.
The qualifier at the beginning of this sentence is the only worthwhile statement in it.
quote:
Presently as a human race we use the equivalent of 1.6 Earth's
What in the hell does that nonsense mean? I feel dumber for having read anything in your entire post.
Posted on 7/24/16 at 6:20 am to dualed
Maybe we shouldn't subsidize the breeding of people who couldn't make it on their own then.
Posted on 7/24/16 at 6:27 am to fr33manator
quote:
Maybe we shouldn't subsidize the breeding of people who couldn't make it on their own then.
Why ruin this thread too?
Posted on 7/24/16 at 6:34 am to AcetylCoA
Pointing out that artificially inflating the population numbers in a thread about overpopulation is ruining it?
We also shouldn't be sending food to all these starving places in the desert. What happens with that is the aid boosts population numbers to an unnatural rate above its carrying capacity. We are ensuring that down the road, when aid dries up, you will have massive die offs. Also war, since when food becomes so scarce people will compete violently over resources.
Basically, large scale hunger relief programs are a terrible idea.
We also shouldn't be sending food to all these starving places in the desert. What happens with that is the aid boosts population numbers to an unnatural rate above its carrying capacity. We are ensuring that down the road, when aid dries up, you will have massive die offs. Also war, since when food becomes so scarce people will compete violently over resources.
Basically, large scale hunger relief programs are a terrible idea.
This post was edited on 7/24/16 at 6:52 am
Posted on 7/24/16 at 6:38 am to dualed
Enlil will fix that.
Posted on 7/24/16 at 6:49 am to dualed
You could give every single human being 1000 square feet of Texas
268597 x 5280 x 5280 divided by 7.4 billion
268597 x 5280 x 5280 divided by 7.4 billion
Posted on 7/24/16 at 7:12 am to dualed
Zika virus getting ready to lower that population 
Posted on 7/24/16 at 7:17 am to dualed
quote:
Though difficult to truly estimate, most researchers agree that the Earth's carrying capacity is somewhere between 9 and 10 billion.
Bull shite.
quote:
I would like to think technological advances will help to counteract some of this,
No shite. It's only been happening for eternity.
quote:We may be screwing, but we're not reproducing at an increasing rate. Check out birth rates for any advanced country (Japan, most of Europe, USA, Canada, etc). As we advance, our birth rates reduce. Even though I don't agree with your premise that the world is going to run out of consumable resources, societal changes will drive people to have less children as a whole.
We're screwing like rabbits
Think about the cost of common consumables today. Energy. Natural gas and oil are cheap. Not even speaking to coal which is even cheaper due to perceived effects on climate. Then you have food. Hell we've decide to use corn as a fuel source in cars!! does that sound like a good policy if we were on the verge of running out of food. How bout milk? I paid $1.89 for a gallon yesterday... less than $2!! Etc. Etc.
So if we were butting up on the Earth's limit, shouldn't we start to see massive price increases? Hell Africa produces less than it did 30 years ago due to poor governance. If we just fix local governance, no one on earth would starve. Nothing about Earth's capacity is responsible for current issues affecting people around the world.
Posted on 7/24/16 at 7:18 am to fr33manator
quote:
Maybe we shouldn't subsidize the breeding of people who couldn't make it on their own then
completly agree. When certain people, and genetics should have been weeded out by natural selection we defy natures law and expend resources to carry these types along
Posted on 7/24/16 at 7:37 am to dualed
We need a malthusian catastrophe like famine or a deadly virus to take place.
Read some of Thomas Malthus's works (he was saying this back in the late 1700/early 1800's).
Read some of Thomas Malthus's works (he was saying this back in the late 1700/early 1800's).
Posted on 7/24/16 at 7:48 am to dualed
There will massive government control over reproduction in the future. There will be heavy opposition at first but it will happen. It's really a great idea as we all know parents who shouldn't be allowed to have kids. There won't be as many dindus in the future.
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