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gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
8. Since we're overloading the planet at this point
Mon Jun 14, 2021, 02:47 PM
Jun 2021

In a perfect world, we could sustain 10 billion humans or more on the planet. But this isn't a perfect world. We've fucked things up badly, and while I don't think we've gotten to an extinction level with our poor choices, we've consigned several hundred million, if not a couple billion, people to a very tough life and early death. Humans all over the world have learned to mistrust each other when it comes to voluntary limits on our population. That leaves less friendly options - war, famine, disease - an open invitation to cut our numbers. We'd do the planet and ourselves an enormous favor by cutting our global population down to 4.5 or 5 billion, and learning more sustainable living practices.

But somewhere along the way, we all decided (or it was decided for us) that a certain small percentage of the population needed to be richer than the rest of the world put together, and in service of that tiny minority the rest of us can live lives that are unnecessarily nasty, brutish, and short.

Here's my take on this, MarineCombatEngineer Jun 2021 #1
Exactly. If only white people count, then you might not notice the world population is lagomorph777 Jun 2021 #20
Agree totally with your last sentence! PortTack Jun 2021 #2
Like it's always been the case since... the 17th-18th-19th-20th Century. Justice matters. Jun 2021 #5
gee, if only there were some other way to increase the number of young Americans! Orangepeel Jun 2021 #3
I'd like Dr. Murray to show me one bit of research indicating that humans will go extinct Renew Deal Jun 2021 #4
We may go extinct faster... Justice matters. Jun 2021 #6
We may Renew Deal Jun 2021 #7
We are more likely to go extinct from overpopulation than underpopulation. lagomorph777 Jun 2021 #23
IKR? Coventina Jun 2021 #10
People have the evolutionary urge to have sex. Klaralven Jun 2021 #34
Since we're overloading the planet at this point gratuitous Jun 2021 #8
At the beginning of WW II, the population was about 40% of what is is currently Klaralven Jun 2021 #9
Good point. I wouldn't even worry until we were back at the level of the so-called "Axis Age" Coventina Jun 2021 #32
I think that a global population of about 200 million would be a good thing Klaralven Jun 2021 #33
How do we get the rest of the world to slow down? Throck Jun 2021 #11
The conservative interviewed in this is literally saying that we should have lots of children Scrivener7 Jun 2021 #12
Earth desn't care about us or any other living thing Kaleva Jun 2021 #15
Maybe not, but we better damn well care about earth. Scrivener7 Jun 2021 #16
To what end? We have no power to control plate activity Kaleva Jun 2021 #26
. Scrivener7 Jun 2021 #31
Hear! Hear! Hugh_Lebowski Jun 2021 #17
Increasing immigration!! Hush your mouth!!! His mama would disown him for saying Scrivener7 Jun 2021 #18
I suspect that if we stay out of wars, etc...... secondwind Jun 2021 #13
The rest of the planet is doomed regardless if humans are present Kaleva Jun 2021 #14
A great many of the species that live on it, at least ... Earth itself will be fine (nt) Hugh_Lebowski Jun 2021 #19
They will all go extinct even if humans never existed Kaleva Jun 2021 #27
So your point was "all species are eventually doomed no matter what people do or have done?" Hugh_Lebowski Jun 2021 #28
It matters as long as we can leave this planet Kaleva Jun 2021 #30
I doubt the last of humankind will be worried about home sales Bayard Jun 2021 #21
The birth rate needs to drop even further worldwide. roamer65 Jun 2021 #22
I did my part to ensure the extinction of the species liberaltrucker Jun 2021 #24
Did you maybe slip one past the goalie? Coventina Jun 2021 #25
with growing automation & other factors, there's going to be fewer jobs in the future KG Jun 2021 #29
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