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What it does is explain why society didn't collapse in the 70s / 80s like some predicted. We have been living on borrowed time, relying on over consumption of f

What it does is explain why society didn't collapse in the 70s / 80s like some predicted. We have been living on borrowed time, relying on over consumption of finite resources. Unless we invent miracle tech, we are fucked. And then there is the climate crisis, which will require massive geoengineering because we waited too long. No one knows if we can avert that crisis or how bad it will get.

xboxnolifes 3y ago
That explains why collapse will happen without change. It doesn't explain why it'll happen "soon". Borrowed time from limited resources can last a while.
- RetroTechie 3y ago
  > Borrowed time from limited resources can last a while. In the past 30y more fossil fuels have been consumed than at all time before. Ok maybe peak oil has occured around now. But that's certainly not the case for overall fossil use. Or GHG emissions. That's still increasing. Cutting down rain forest? Fishing? Many minerals & metals: all similar stories. The list goes on. Every civilization that operated like that in the past, did collapse. It's only a matter of time. For these civilizations, effects were localized. And a good # of people may have gotten out & moved elsewhere. But this time it's global. Good luck staying safe if logistics & social structures break down around the world.
zosima 3y ago
All life (with very few exceptions) is living on and dependent on overconsumption of resources on the sun.
- paulryanrogers 3y ago
  Life has existed for billions of years. Not all of it was 'over' consuming or else none would have survived to this day. There is no guarantee the sun can provide as much energy as we're consuming on an ongoing basis. That's because oil and other minerals built up over hundreds of millions of years. We're on track to consume all that's within reach in a few centuries.
- ASalazarMX 3y ago
  You can't overconsume the Sun. The planet gets what it gets, there's no way to get more energy than it gives off.
  - copperx 3y ago
    What they mean is that we will overconsume the things the sun has helped create, not the sun itself, obviously.
friend_and_foe 3y ago
All living creatures are living on borrowed time the minute they're born and not immediately devoured. I have a feeling the next set of predictions will explain away why the current ones were wrong, just like has happened every time since Malthus and even before that. That doesn't mean I think crises will not happen. But at this point I'm very skeptical of claims of inevitable worldwide collapse, doubly so when a timeline is provided.

xboxnolifes 3y ago

That explains why collapse will happen without change. It doesn't explain why it'll happen "soon". Borrowed time from limited resources can last a while.

RetroTechie 3y ago
> Borrowed time from limited resources can last a while. In the past 30y more fossil fuels have been consumed than at all time before. Ok maybe peak oil has occured around now. But that's certainly not the case for overall fossil use. Or GHG emissions. That's still increasing. Cutting down rain forest? Fishing? Many minerals & metals: all similar stories. The list goes on. Every civilization that operated like that in the past, did collapse. It's only a matter of time. For these civilizations, effects were localized. And a good # of people may have gotten out & moved elsewhere. But this time it's global. Good luck staying safe if logistics & social structures break down around the world.

zosima 3y ago

All life (with very few exceptions) is living on and dependent on overconsumption of resources on the sun.

paulryanrogers 3y ago
Life has existed for billions of years. Not all of it was 'over' consuming or else none would have survived to this day. There is no guarantee the sun can provide as much energy as we're consuming on an ongoing basis. That's because oil and other minerals built up over hundreds of millions of years. We're on track to consume all that's within reach in a few centuries.
ASalazarMX 3y ago
You can't overconsume the Sun. The planet gets what it gets, there's no way to get more energy than it gives off.
- copperx 3y ago
  What they mean is that we will overconsume the things the sun has helped create, not the sun itself, obviously.

friend_and_foe 3y ago

All living creatures are living on borrowed time the minute they're born and not immediately devoured. I have a feeling the next set of predictions will explain away why the current ones were wrong, just like has happened every time since Malthus and even before that. That doesn't mean I think crises will not happen. But at this point I'm very skeptical of claims of inevitable worldwide collapse, doubly so when a timeline is provided.