@AirCon It is interesting that first on your list was vegetarianism. Meat production is very inefficient and factory farming techniques increasingly unacceptable, particularly with the prophylactic use of antibiotics which help the evolution of drug resistant strains of bacteria. Think where you would be today without effective antibacterial drugs !
11 billion is the lowest credible figure than many experts are working with, some others are much higher. This assumes no modification in current reproductive behaviour.
"Predictions" that take no account of feedback effects - such as how population growth will effect the decision-making process in terms of people having children - are a little bit useless, are they not?
which part are you questioning john? the figure quoted, the rate of increase (in fact which version of the increase). The version that asserts that it has already started to slow or the version that says it will carry on expotentially increasing. Which if i might be so bold is what i believe the red text is assuming(incorrectly actually)
I think that through changes in Tax people will first not benefit and then later actually suffer penalty if they have more than two children. In Western cultures I think "One child per couple" just wouldn't be acceptable...unless it got really bad here.
Just for the record we decided not to have children as we believed (and still do) that the world doesn't need any more people in it.
I was questioning the assumption that there will be no change in reproductive behaviour. I hope and believe that your previous post on population growth having peaked or about to peak will turn out to be correct. 11 billion is just crazy, I find it hard to believe that the basic necessities of life could be provided for that many people, plus the conflict between the haves and the have nots would tear us apart.
O.k understood. The respected publication "Nature" is/was my source. The fall in the rate of growth is already true, measurable and sustained.
I've had a lot of time to think lately. I actually think we are living in one best eras of all time. Relatively stable political scene, cheap energy, low poverty (UK), free (uncensored) internet, cheap international travel, equality, best medical facilities (so far) and longevity. In 50-100 years I don't believe it will be better. 100 years after that and its going to be grim.
I know if I lived not to many years age I would probably be dead. Anyone who has needed medical help ie operations ,antibiotics , broken bones ,man flu etc would have died if born over a century ago! In fact we tended to have larger families as we would expect a few to die in childhood that's if your wife survived giving birth. And there were no motorbikes ffs what's that all about? You were really buggered if religion took an interest in you , after all you didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition ! And the porn was rubbish.
Without antibiotics, anaesthetics and modern surgery I'd have been dead at 34. Having said that I'd give up my bikes and much else as well as a good chunk of my life expectancy to have lived in a world with vastly fewer people in it. But not that much of it..
Do you really believe the best thing for this planet is more humans? That is the craziest thing I've read for a long time!
Makes zero difference to the planet. Earth will be around, and thrive, for a long time after the last human draws his/her last breath.
