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GliderGuider

(21,088 posts)
16. IMO we are into the beginning of the bottleneck.
Mon May 21, 2012, 04:09 PM
May 2012

Depending on what measure you use, humanity is either 50% into overshoot (if you believe the "ecological footprint" bullshit), or 500%. I choose the 500% number, and attribute most of our overshoot in numbers and consumption to our use of global stocks of fossil fuels.

Humans have backed ourselves into a corner by developing a global society based on fossil fuels, and it's much too late to prevent the overshoot from crashing. We can work to make the slope down a little less rocky and painful, but there is nothing at all we can do to prevent the human enterprise from coming apart, with all the general misery that implies. Human beings are ferociously good at solving short-term problems, but very, very bad at foreseeing and preventing the negative consequences of their earlier "solutions".

This graph represents where we've been, where we are, what's coming, and the lost dream of what could have been if we hadn't discovered and exploited fossil fuels:

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Religion dimbear May 2012 #1
Absolutely get the red out May 2012 #3
We need to find ways to raise consciousness of this issue. Real programs and ideas. Gregorian May 2012 #2
I didn't need an an anthropomorphic child. I had younger siblings. hunter May 2012 #20
I'd like to say religion but I know many young people who are not into religion but having kids. freshwest May 2012 #4
I grew up in an intelligent neighborhood. Almost none of my friends has children. Gregorian May 2012 #5
They're quite intelligent, and believe me, I've lived areas I wouldn't say that about. I don't know freshwest May 2012 #6
There are different kinds of intelligence. Gregorian May 2012 #8
I think there's something inherently optimistic in all life XemaSab May 2012 #7
Yes, but... GliderGuider May 2012 #9
Global fertility rate 2.46 / US 2.06 / Japan 1.21 / Libya 2.96 kristopher May 2012 #10
This message was self-deleted by its author GliderGuider May 2012 #11
Global population is rising linearly by 75 million people per year. GliderGuider May 2012 #12
That doesn't really help understand or solve the problem GG. kristopher May 2012 #15
We know the population is rising by 75 M/year. That's true too. GliderGuider May 2012 #17
If you'll notice the course described has nothing to do with what you're saying. kristopher May 2012 #18
You must have an allergy GliderGuider May 2012 #19
There was a thread on this topic a few weeks ago CrispyQ May 2012 #13
Why do people purposefully give the next 90+ years to their babies? stuntcat May 2012 #14
IMO we are into the beginning of the bottleneck. GliderGuider May 2012 #16
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»Population Is Popping: Wh...»Reply #16