6 ms·

Not coincidentally, the human population has doubled in the same timeframe. Is everyone else screaming inside, or is it just me?

by dflock 9y ago

graeme 9y ago
Planetary carrying capacity has to go somewhere. More humans + human animals and crops = fewer wild plants or animals That's just an intuitive thought, I am not sure if it is necessarily correct in all cases. It certainly at least correlates.
- derpaderp1 9y ago
  Hmm maybe people could stop having so many babies. No that's crazy right?
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Santosh83 9y ago
Many of us also despair, but the world at large thunders on. Humanity seems to be collectively determined to march full speed ahead and face any problems as they happen. Sadly this means the planet is going to lose a majority of its genetic and ecological diversity, and that is going to be a great loss to us from several angles, but modern society and our economic structures are simply not placing value in such intangibles.
CalRobert 9y ago
Only a few people, I think. It's like we found the asteroid headed for Earth and instead of panicking, just shrugged. There are probably fifty times a day I feel a deep seated dreadxiety about something I'm doing. Wearing synthetic fibre. Finding out a soap has triclosan in it. Using a disposable nappy. Eating an avocado. Eating fish (appropriately enough, eating said synthetic fibres in that fish). And yet I have colleagues who toss aluminium cans into the garbage when the recycling is RIGHT NEXT TO IT and they do. Not. Care. I don't know what to do. Individual action is meaningless - every gallon of gas I don't burn just makes it cheaper for someone else. Maybe even the driver who wants to mow me down. I despair.
- ciconia 9y ago
  If you really want to make a change, leave the city and go live in the countryside. You'll be able to consume less, grow your own food and be closer to nature.
  - CalRobert 9y ago
    Funny enough,I've generally recoiled at that idea because traditional exurban living has a very, very high carbon footprint. Of late though I've been investigating homesteading and inexpensive land at least 20 metres over sea level that would still be comfortable 5c warmer. Not sure what to do about civilizational collapse though.
  - tmnvix 9y ago
    In most cases I think that would necessitate owning a car. I think not owning a car and living an urban lifestyle is a better tradeoff for me at least.
    - CalRobert 9y ago
      Cities are more sustainable for most people, by definition really. Homesteading with high biodiversity and a cargo bike might be good too, but probably not for ten billion people.
- ericmcer 9y ago
  My personal favorite version of this experience: Seven years ago I was working at trader joes and trying out vegetarianism for environmental reasons. A lady would come in every few weeks and buy just massive quantities of ground beef, like 30-40lbs in one trip. I finally asked her what all that beef was for and she replied "I feed it to my dogs". What can you even do? Thats probably the no-meat diet of 10 people being offset by one persons dogs. The higher your personal standard is the more angry you will be at your fellow human, its best to just not think about it.
  - belorn 9y ago
ebcode 9y ago
Some of us are screaming outside as well.

Not coincidentally, the human population has doubled in the same timeframe. Is everyone else screaming inside, or is it just me?

by dflock 9y ago

Not coincidentally, the human population has doubled in the same timeframe. Is everyone else screaming inside, or is it just me?

graeme 9y ago

Planetary carrying capacity has to go somewhere. More humans + human animals and crops = fewer wild plants or animals That's just an intuitive thought, I am not sure if it is necessarily correct in all cases. It certainly at least correlates.

derpaderp1 9y ago
Hmm maybe people could stop having so many babies. No that's crazy right?

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Santosh83 9y ago

Many of us also despair, but the world at large thunders on. Humanity seems to be collectively determined to march full speed ahead and face any problems as they happen. Sadly this means the planet is going to lose a majority of its genetic and ecological diversity, and that is going to be a great loss to us from several angles, but modern society and our economic structures are simply not placing value in such intangibles.

CalRobert 9y ago

Only a few people, I think. It's like we found the asteroid headed for Earth and instead of panicking, just shrugged. There are probably fifty times a day I feel a deep seated dreadxiety about something I'm doing. Wearing synthetic fibre. Finding out a soap has triclosan in it. Using a disposable nappy. Eating an avocado. Eating fish (appropriately enough, eating said synthetic fibres in that fish). And yet I have colleagues who toss aluminium cans into the garbage when the recycling is RIGHT NEXT TO IT and they do. Not. Care. I don't know what to do. Individual action is meaningless - every gallon of gas I don't burn just makes it cheaper for someone else. Maybe even the driver who wants to mow me down. I despair.

ciconia 9y ago
If you really want to make a change, leave the city and go live in the countryside. You'll be able to consume less, grow your own food and be closer to nature.
- CalRobert 9y ago
  Funny enough,I've generally recoiled at that idea because traditional exurban living has a very, very high carbon footprint. Of late though I've been investigating homesteading and inexpensive land at least 20 metres over sea level that would still be comfortable 5c warmer. Not sure what to do about civilizational collapse though.
- tmnvix 9y ago
  In most cases I think that would necessitate owning a car. I think not owning a car and living an urban lifestyle is a better tradeoff for me at least.
  - CalRobert 9y ago
    Cities are more sustainable for most people, by definition really. Homesteading with high biodiversity and a cargo bike might be good too, but probably not for ten billion people.
ericmcer 9y ago
My personal favorite version of this experience: Seven years ago I was working at trader joes and trying out vegetarianism for environmental reasons. A lady would come in every few weeks and buy just massive quantities of ground beef, like 30-40lbs in one trip. I finally asked her what all that beef was for and she replied "I feed it to my dogs". What can you even do? Thats probably the no-meat diet of 10 people being offset by one persons dogs. The higher your personal standard is the more angry you will be at your fellow human, its best to just not think about it.
- belorn 9y ago

ebcode 9y ago

Some of us are screaming outside as well.