Comic Relief

[JustOne]

Finite capacity?

Example 1) For argument sake lets say there's 8 billion people on the planet, well there's 40 million living just in Tokyo..... 200 Tokyo's and you've got 8 billion. You don't think there's room for 200 cities in the entire world? or 400?

Example 2) Take every house that exists right now across the entire world and make it twice as high (your house becomes 4 floors instead of 2 floors) now you've doubled the capacity of the world to 16 billion, another family could (in theory) have a 2 floor house right above yours without actually taking up any more space.... no need to build new houses on those fields, save them for food production, go up rather than out. It's economics that makes us go 'out' rather than up, and economics is politics.

Example 3) It has been calculated that after a certain amount of people are on the planet they will actually die as quickly as they are being born, I don't know that exact figure but the general concensus is that population growth would slow down, even more so if we bring people out of poverty.... they just wouldn't have 5.4 kids if they didn't have malaria, famine,.... JOBS etc etc


Just out of interest, what figure would YOU put on the planets finite capacity?

 

[stevie_r]

Finite capacity?

Example 1) For argument sake lets say there's 8 billion people on the planet, well there's 40 million living just in Tokyo..... 200 Tokyo's and you've got 8 billion. You don't think there's room for 200 cities in the entire world? or 400?

Example 2) Take every house that exists right now across the entire world and make it twice as high (your house becomes 4 floors instead of 2 floors) now you've doubled the capacity of the world to 16 billion, another family could (in theory) have a 2 floor house right above yours without actually taking up any more space.... no need to build new houses on those fields, save them for food production, go up rather than out. It's economics that makes us go 'out' rather than up, and economics is politics.

Example 3) It has been calculated that after a certain amount of people are on the planet they will actually die as quickly as they are being born, I don't know that exact figure but the general concensus is that population growth would slow down, even more so if we bring people out of poverty.... they just wouldn't have 5.4 kids if they didn't have malaria, famine,.... JOBS etc etc


Just out of interest, what figure would YOU put on the planets finite capacity?

Example 1, But it's not just about space is it? It's also about natural resources.
Example 2, hey, what we could do is stack housing 20 high, on no, wait, we tried that failed social experiment.
Example 3, Kindly show me your source of evidence for this claim. Let's not forget that a significant percentage of the population of Africa have never had, nor would want, 'jobs' as you use the term. A significant majority exist through subsistence farming, herding, fishing etc as they have done for centuries and that's where we have the problem of natural resources v population growth.

 

[JustOne]

Example 1, But it's not just about space is it? It's also about natural resources.
Example 2, hey, what we could do is stack housing 20 high, on no, wait, we tried that failed social experiment.
Example 3, Kindly show me your source of evidence for this claim. Let's not forget that a significant percentage of the population of Africa have never had, nor would want, 'jobs' as you use the term. A significant majority exist through subsistence farming, herding, fishing etc as they have done for centuries and that's where we have the problem of natural resources v population growth.

1) I'm not sure what natural resources it is that we lack? Which ones are you referring to?

2) Stack houses 20 high isn't going to work NOW, but it will when it needs to. You and I will both be dead by then but future generations won't be so phased by it, Tokyo would be an example as is anyone who lives in a major city (eg: New York). If you're a Country bumpkin (or unsocial) then YES it's certainly going to take some getting used to. Previous projects certainly weren't effective because they provided CHEAP housing, better standards would be required... did you never hear of a penthouse suite? they don't put those on the ground floor

3) You don't think Africans want jobs? Sure, they want FOOD right now, but then they want shelter and opportunity (basically a FUTURE for themselves or their children - as we all do).

 

[Hacker Khan]

3) You don't think Africans want jobs? Sure, they want FOOD right now, but then they want shelter and opportunity (basically a FUTURE for themselves or their children - as we all do).

Good point. This post is now veering scarily towards completely misunderstanding and then utterly misappropriating the theory of natural selection, and using it as a justification for letting swathes of the human population die. Indeed almost justifying it as 'natural'. Truly very sad