Vocal Voices

Researchers have found a 21% decline since 1961. It is not a hard decline it is a relative one.

In 1961 the global population was 3 billion compared to 7.6 billion today - a 2.5 times increase. If we were producing 1 million tons of something back then we would need to be producing 2.5 million tons today, but we are not, we are down to 2 million tons.

This declines is despite all the deforestation and use of fertilizers. The deforestation has largely been done to mitigate the damage done to the soil and create farming land. In some areas we have created what are almost deserts on previously productive arable land.

Throw in the damage done to crops due to climate change and you have the perfect storm. Cut down the trees, which take up some of the CO2, in order to grow more food yet damage the soild and the atmosphere in the process. It is hurting the seas and fish stocks as well.

God only knows what the answer is. We are in a pandemic at the moment and all we can think about is getting back to normal. You know, thet "normal" where we trashed the planet at an ever increasing rate!

Workingman wrote:God only knows what the answer is. We are in a pandemic at the moment and all we can think about is getting back to normal. You know, thet "normal" where we trashed the planet at an ever increasing rate!

Over population. The one thing politicians will never, ever talk about.

I don't know what the answer is either.

This month in Davos should be interesting, because I'm sure that there will be some opinions about the way forward. Ones a lot of people won't like, me included.

cromwell wrote:Over population. The one thing politicians will never, ever talk about.

Growth, growth and more growth is what he economy needs and that needs more people buying more things and more raping of the planet's resources. Go figure.

Well that's exactly it.
Consumerist capitalism likes more and more people. More people consume more goods means more profits.
Unfortunately it also means depletion of resources at an increasing rate.

So why do only a few of us see the truth. It really does baffle and worry me.

Ah you are forgetting WM that you are not a multi billionaire who is in need of a lot more

Most people don't want to see the truth and the vast majority either don't care or are so busy living their lives that they don't take the time to work out where their lives are taking the planet.

This has been going on for millennia but we're rapidly approaching crunch time and there will be no quick fix answer.

One of the largest elephants in the room is the fact that the vast majority of people think that what science broke science can fix so it will all be OK after a few years of "fixing it".

What people seem to be unable to comprehend is that every person on the planet, aided by science, has been trashing the planet for 150 years. Also that each year of 21st century damage is worth a decade in the first 50 years or so. This kind of momentum doesn't just stop and there is a scale to a "fix" which science might produce. So even if we did find some magic "fix", it would probably take the whole planet 50 years just to stop what is going on and another 50 years to fix it. That is with every person on the planet stopping right this second. Which, as we know, is impossible.

Politicians don't mention population because they know they can't fix it and they sell the "science fix" because it kicks the can down the road. But we are running out of road and that is going to be very apparent very soon. It is hard to describe just how much damage a blue ocean event in summer is going to do to the Arctic. I guess we'll just have to experience it. Then we'll have to live with the "why didn't you tell us". We DID. Over and over and over again. You chose to not believe us.

Life as we know it is going to change. Not so much for me, but for my grandkids for sure.