How Many People Can The Earth Support?
- Thread starter grainfedpraiboy
- Start date
Dr. Suzuki claims the world is overpopulated. But so far he hasn't offered to remove either himself or his multitudes of offspring.
I'm middle aged and the Earth's population has tripled in my lifetime, so far. This geometric rate of growth will lead us to some sort of catastrophe and soon. All that it would take is a big volcanic eruption like Krakatoa, Santorini or something even bigger and summer won't come in the mid latitudes (where the food comes from) one year. It has happened periodically in our history and it was a catastrophe when we were thin on the ground. A harvest year without a harvest could kill a couple of billion people in one year, right now. It would also totally unhinge the stability of the planet and a whole lot more of us could die in the resulting warfare over precious resources.
Helping one's fellow man?
When people aren't hungry it's easier to educate them.
We get a thread on this subject every year. My opinion (which I sincerely believe) is that Malthusianism is history's most bogus ideology and should be dismissed from everyone's mind. Despite the repeated hysterical claims by its proponents, life spans continue to expand, advancements in science have found the way to heal many diseases once thought to be incurable, and famines have been largely removed from the human experience. True, there is more than can and should be done to insure that everyone has access to pure water and food. But there is no shortage of either resource. The earth can sustain multiple billions more so that no one need fear the hysterical claims of delusional Malthusians.
You still haven't answered the question. Fact is, you can distribute all the money you want, but unless you're prepared to provide an ongoing income for a generation or 2, then that money is gone and you're back to square one.
PS - How do you plan on educating 'them'... Where do you think those resources will come from and how long will that keep up once you've liberated the money of the next set of wealthy people?
Apparently there are a few organizations working on it. World Vision is one off the top my head and apparently some progress is being made. Maybe the wrong people are being educated, maybe the likes of Trump and a hundred thousand like him need the education first! I don't have many of the answers but if a few people thought about it, it would be a start.
What about the war, commies, despots, debutates, fanatics,savages and the Botswanan plot?
Sudan is a perfect example. Until war came along they were a huge beef exporter. War came, the cattle vanished and so did the grasslands they grazed which relied on the dung to maintain a healthy soil. Now the soil is dust, they country split in 2 and millions ran to refugee camps.
How do you fix that with money from rich people?
Sudan is a perfect example. Until war came along they were a huge beef exporter. War came, the cattle vanished and so did the grasslands they grazed which relied on the dung to maintain a healthy soil. Now the soil is dust, they country split in 2 and millions ran to refugee camps.
How do you fix that with money from rich people?
Cash isn't going to do anything. Those debutantes and Botswanans are something else to deal with.
Maybe Africa isn't the place to start. Actually it would be better to start small on an island somewhere, perhaps.
Yeah, I can grasp that. I'm stubborn enough to believe there has to be a way around that. Among their direst needs are food, potable water and a few other things, but where else to start besides feeding them and that can't be done without some money, in the short term.
What are you going to do about the cultural practices in some regions where the family (mom and dad) pursue a 'retirement plan' of having as many kids as possible in hopes that the kids will take care of them in their old age.
These folks know that there is a significant chance that all their kids won't live, but do it any how.
How do you handle this?
These folks know that there is a significant chance that all their kids won't live, but do it any how.
How do you handle this?
How would you get food into N. Korea and distribute it without you and those you are trying help being shot?
How do you ensure that the cargo ship of wheat sent to feed the masses isn't sold on the open market by the ruling warlords?