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Thursday 22 October 2020

Population & Sustainability

In so many ways we are walking blindfold into the future. Blindfold, not because there isn't evidence a plenty to understand the stark reality of the Hydra we have created. Blindfold, because we are simply ignoring it & continuing with our destructive patterns of behaviour.

https://ourworldindata.org/future-population-growth

https://ourworldindata.org/uploads/2019/06/2019-Revision-%E2%80%93-World-Population-Growth-1700-2100-772x550.png

https://populationmatters.org/the-facts/the-numbers

https://populationmatters.org/sites/default/files/styles/half_width_image/public/population%20projection%2095%25%201800x1800.png?itok=WyVrih6V                                                            

We have to consider what solutions to employ to avoid this compeletely unsupportable & unbalanced growth in population. We don't have the resources to support this number of people. How many worlds will we need to meet the needs of future populations?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33133712

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/media/images/83647000/png/_83647604_ecological-footprint-by-country.png 

I don't need to be a scientist to know that none of this works. Even if we devise ever more brilliant methods of farming, of producing energy, of having enough land & materials to house everyone, using less water....It simply doesn't compute. There will just be too many people for our finite resources.

Yes, we may find another life supporting planet. We might be able to live on a self sufficient space station. Do we want that?  

The world is reaching "peak child". But the world population is also ageing. There will come a time when there aren't enough young people in work to keep the infrastructure & financial systems working in some parts of the world. In the second-half of the century the number of births is expected to slowly fall and the number of deaths to rise, so the global population growth rate will continue to fall in countries like the UK. This is when the world population will stop increasing in the future. But it won't be the same everywhere. Developing nations will still have huge populations who, not unreasonably, want the lifestyle & advantages we have.

This, truly, is the elephant in the room. The elephant of populations.

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