3 ms·

These stats are frightening. In the past I recall seeing several different sets of figures for the amount of food the average human consumes in a lifetime. One

These stats are frightening. In the past I recall seeing several different sets of figures for the amount of food the average human consumes in a lifetime. One estimate was about 70 tons and the other was 100 tons. (If anyone has better or more definite figures then let's hear about them.) Now, if we consider the other resources every new human will also consume during his or her lifetime - houses, vehicles, white goods, electronic tech etc., etc. - then that extra demand on the planet's resources will be enormous. What's worried me for a long time - ever since I read Anne and Paul Ehrlich's 1968 book The Population Bomb is that the population will outstrip our ability to find extra resources to support this population growth. Whilst the Ehrlichs overestimated the exponential growth rate I evertheless reckon the evidence supports the fact that they'd gotten the growth trend correct. It seems to me that unless we quickly take drastic action to either limit population growth or vastly increase food resources or both - not to mention simultaneously keeping environment in a state of sustainability (climate change, etc.) - then the future is likely to be very rocky. Yes, it's a pessimistic outlook but it looks as if the stats are pretty much against us unless there's a collective realization that something must be done urgently. I can only hope I'm wrong.

siva7 4y ago
Who says that everyone has to eat meat? And who are you to command that millions or billions of people shouldn’t be born in the future?
- hilbert42 4y ago
  I made no moral judgment whatsoever. I only stated what many who are much more knowledgeable than I am have said about the subject over the past 50 or more years. Moreover, it's just a fact that people have been controlling population growth since before recorded history both at a family and state level - take China's one child policy for instance. I never even mentioned this let alone take a moral stand on the matter. Presumably, you would be much more critical of those who've actually acted to control population numbers rather than those who've just mentioned the subject. What's more, the comment I made was a logical OR statement - that is either the world has the resources OR it doesn't, if it doesn't then the world has to do something about it, especially when exponential growth is involved. What are your objections to that? And why are you so indignant and afraid of the subject that you want discussion about it shut down?
- matthewdgreen 4y ago
  There’s a lot of future.
joshuahedlund 4y ago
See the book More From Less for a counter-argument. Thanks to modern efficiencies and digitization a lot of resource use has decoupled from economic growth and some has actually peaked
- hilbert42 4y ago
  "Thanks to modern efficiencies and digitization a lot of resource use has decoupled from economic growth..." I'm aware of the counter argument but in the light of exponential growth of the population at what point does the graph of 'modern efficiencies' intersect with that of the exponential growth one? Exponential growth has to stop somewhere as resources aren't infinite, so 'decoupling' cannot last forever. Incidentally, I'm aware that some demographers have predicted a leveling off of exponential population growth in decades to come. For those who've implied (wrongly) that I've a hide to suggest limiting population growth I'd say that if or when exponential population growth does happen then they'd have to be critical of everyone involved in that turnaround (as it will require active participation of the population for that to happen).
kmlx 4y ago
> ever since I read Anne and Paul Ehrlich's 1968 book The Population Bomb hasn’t that whole idea been proven wrong already? isn’t it a 70s myth that never materialised? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_overpopulation#Criticism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_overpopulation#Critici...
- hilbert42 4y ago
  I did say that Ehrlich's timeline was inaccurate. I'm also familiar with the counter arguments. Other than comments I've already made in replies to others I've nothing futher to add as it would invite addional political criticism.

siva7 4y ago

Who says that everyone has to eat meat? And who are you to command that millions or billions of people shouldn’t be born in the future?

hilbert42 4y ago
I made no moral judgment whatsoever. I only stated what many who are much more knowledgeable than I am have said about the subject over the past 50 or more years. Moreover, it's just a fact that people have been controlling population growth since before recorded history both at a family and state level - take China's one child policy for instance. I never even mentioned this let alone take a moral stand on the matter. Presumably, you would be much more critical of those who've actually acted to control population numbers rather than those who've just mentioned the subject. What's more, the comment I made was a logical OR statement - that is either the world has the resources OR it doesn't, if it doesn't then the world has to do something about it, especially when exponential growth is involved. What are your objections to that? And why are you so indignant and afraid of the subject that you want discussion about it shut down?
matthewdgreen 4y ago
There’s a lot of future.

joshuahedlund 4y ago

See the book More From Less for a counter-argument. Thanks to modern efficiencies and digitization a lot of resource use has decoupled from economic growth and some has actually peaked

hilbert42 4y ago
"Thanks to modern efficiencies and digitization a lot of resource use has decoupled from economic growth..." I'm aware of the counter argument but in the light of exponential growth of the population at what point does the graph of 'modern efficiencies' intersect with that of the exponential growth one? Exponential growth has to stop somewhere as resources aren't infinite, so 'decoupling' cannot last forever. Incidentally, I'm aware that some demographers have predicted a leveling off of exponential population growth in decades to come. For those who've implied (wrongly) that I've a hide to suggest limiting population growth I'd say that if or when exponential population growth does happen then they'd have to be critical of everyone involved in that turnaround (as it will require active participation of the population for that to happen).

kmlx 4y ago

> ever since I read Anne and Paul Ehrlich's 1968 book The Population Bomb hasn’t that whole idea been proven wrong already? isn’t it a 70s myth that never materialised? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_overpopulation#Criticism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_overpopulation#Critici...

hilbert42 4y ago
I did say that Ehrlich's timeline was inaccurate. I'm also familiar with the counter arguments. Other than comments I've already made in replies to others I've nothing futher to add as it would invite addional political criticism.