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We are far beyond the carrying capacity of Earth at this point, I am sorry to say. Honestly, I feel horrible about the future and I get the impression I am not
by titzer 6y ago
We are far beyond the carrying capacity of Earth at this point, I am sorry to say. Honestly, I feel horrible about the future and I get the impression I am not the only one. Please resist the urge to read more into what I wrote than what I wrote.
- pfdietz 6y agoThe estimated extreme maximum carrying capacity of the Earth is 1 trillion people. This limit is set by direct thermal pollution. If one sticks with agriculture to make food, the limit has been estimated to be around 150 billion people. Africa alone could feed 15 billion if their agriculture achieved yields already demonstrated elsewhere in the world.
- bccdee 6y agoWhat's this Malthusianism doing in the 21st century? Can you cite some data suggesting that Earth is incapable of feeding and housing a population of ten billion at least? We have a surplus of food and a surplus of living space, and despite the ongoing energy crisis, there's every indication that renewables will be able to support our entire society once we've pumped enough money into them.
- TeMPOraL 6y agoWe're not sustainably farming, though. Just because we've staved off collapse for a few decades with technological tricks, doesn't mean the argument was wrong.
- bccdee 6y agoAre you worried about soil degradation? That's a fixable problem. These aren't "technological tricks," they're solutions. We've also got lots of arable land we're not using right now. If you've got a really strong claim to make that sustainable farming at scale is unviable, then you must have a source to back that up.