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Overcrowded? Ridiculous. Open up Google Maps. Switch on satellite view. Scroll around the planet. It's all empty space. Sure, we need to stop using carbon fuels

Overcrowded? Ridiculous. Open up Google Maps. Switch on satellite view. Scroll around the planet. It's all empty space. Sure, we need to stop using carbon fuels. Yes, we need to stop polluting the oceans. But the earth is practically empty. Switching power sources is the actual problem. And let's choose one that's also cheaper and more plentiful. Most of the other problems can be overcome with more and cheaper energy (like water for example). But it's ludicrous to say the earth is nearly full.

DrScump 11y ago
Land is hardly the most limiting resource; in fact, it's well down the list, below: - fresh water - food - waste carrying capacity (waterways, atmosphere) - physical resources (metals, wood, concrete, oil and other energy forms) Heck, there's even a worsening shortage of sand suitable for construction use, worldwide: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/opinion/why-sand-is-disappearing.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/opinion/why-sand-is-disapp...
- cheez 11y ago
  Haha, we use up EVERYTHING.
- paulsutter 11y ago
  A better source of energy solves any limitations on water and food. And "waste carrying capacity" is another term for pollution - as I said there are better ways to manage pollution. Yes that takes technology, but the problem is mismanagement of resources, we aren't running out. "The situation we’re in isn’t a looming wall that we’re doomed to crash into. It’s a race – a race between depletion and pollution of natural resources on one side, and our pace of innovation on the other." - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-limits-of-the-earth-part-1-problems/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-limits-of...
vacri 11y ago
The problem isn't physically occupying space, it's resource consumption. Humans themselves don't consume much space in total - the entire 2010 population could 'stand on zanzibar', as the book title predicted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_on_Zanzibar#Title https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_on_Zanzibar#Title
- cromulent 11y ago
  Yes exactly. The current population would fit into a 1km sided cube. Volume of a human = 67 l [1] Double this for packing errors = 134 l = .134 ㎥ .134 x 7.13 billion = 955,000,000 ㎥ < 1 ㎦ [1] http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=volume+of+a+human+being http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=volume+of+a+human+being

DrScump 11y ago

Land is hardly the most limiting resource; in fact, it's well down the list, below: - fresh water - food - waste carrying capacity (waterways, atmosphere) - physical resources (metals, wood, concrete, oil and other energy forms) Heck, there's even a worsening shortage of sand suitable for construction use, worldwide: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/opinion/why-sand-is-disappearing.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/opinion/why-sand-is-disapp...

cheez 11y ago
Haha, we use up EVERYTHING.
paulsutter 11y ago
A better source of energy solves any limitations on water and food. And "waste carrying capacity" is another term for pollution - as I said there are better ways to manage pollution. Yes that takes technology, but the problem is mismanagement of resources, we aren't running out. "The situation we’re in isn’t a looming wall that we’re doomed to crash into. It’s a race – a race between depletion and pollution of natural resources on one side, and our pace of innovation on the other." - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-limits-of-the-earth-part-1-problems/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-limits-of...

vacri 11y ago

The problem isn't physically occupying space, it's resource consumption. Humans themselves don't consume much space in total - the entire 2010 population could 'stand on zanzibar', as the book title predicted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_on_Zanzibar#Title https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_on_Zanzibar#Title

cromulent 11y ago
Yes exactly. The current population would fit into a 1km sided cube. Volume of a human = 67 l [1] Double this for packing errors = 134 l = .134 ㎥ .134 x 7.13 billion = 955,000,000 ㎥ < 1 ㎦ [1] http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=volume+of+a+human+being http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=volume+of+a+human+being