Garry Denke Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 Our civilization is being squeezed between advancing deserts and rising seas. Mounting population densities, once generated by the addition of over 70 million people per year, are now also fueled by the advance of deserts and the rise in sea level. Expanding deserts are primarily the result of overstocking grasslands and overplowing land. Rising seas result from temperature increases from the burning of fossil fuels. China is losing productive land at an accelerating rate. From 1950 to 1975 China lost an average of 600 square miles to desert each year. By 2000, 1,400 square miles were going to desert annually. Satellite images show two deserts in north-central China expanding and merging to form a single, larger desert overlapping Inner Mongolia and Gansu provinces. To the west in Xinjiang Province, two even larger deserts--the Taklimakan and Kumtag--are also heading for a merger. Further east, the Gobi Desert is within 150 miles of Beijing. Chinese scientists report that over the last half-century, 24,000 villages in northern and western China were abandoned as they were overrun by drifting sand. Kazakhstan, site of the vast Soviet Virgin Lands Project, has abandoned nearly half of its cropland since 1980. In Afghanistan, with a population of 31 million, the Registan Desert is encroaching on agricultural areas. A UNEP team reports that up to 100 villages have been submerged by windblown dust and sand. In the northwest, sand dunes are moving onto agricultural land, from the loss of stabilizing vegetation due to firewood gathering and overgrazing. Iran, which has 70 million people and 80 million goats and sheep, is losing its battle with the desert. In 2002 sand storms buried 124 villages in the southeastern province forcing their abandonment. Drifting sands had covered grazing areas, starving livestock and depriving villagers of their livelihood. The Sahara Desert is pushing the populations of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria northward toward the Mediterranean. In countries from Senegal and Mauritania in the west to Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia in the east, the demands of growing human and livestock numbers are converting land into desert. Nigeria is losing 1,355 square miles to desertification each year. While Nigeria's human population grew from 33 million in 1950 to 134 million in 2006, its livestock population grew from 6 million to 66 million. The food needs forced the plowing of marginal land and the forage needs of livestock exceeded the carrying capacity of its grasslands. Nigeria's population is being squeezed into an ever-smaller area. In Mexico, the degradation of cropland forces some 700,000 Mexicans off the land each year in search of jobs in nearby cities or in the United States. Rising seas promise to displace greater numbers in the future. During the twentieth century, sea level rose by 6 inches. During this century seas may rise by 4 to 35 inches. Since 2001, record-high temperatures have accelerated ice melting making it likely that the future rise in sea level will be even greater. If the Greenland ice sheet, a mile thick in some places, were to melt entirely it would raise sea level by 23 feet, or 7 meters. A one-meter rise would inundate many of the rice-growing river deltas and floodplains of India, Thailand, Viet Nam, Indonesia, and China. A one-meter rise in sea level would cause some 30 million Bangladeshis to migrate, internally or to other countries. Hundreds of cities would be at least partly inundated, including London, Alexandria, and Bangkok. More than a third of Shanghai, would be under water. A one-meter rise combined with a 50-year storm surge would leave large portions of Lower Manhattan and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., flooded. If the Greenland ice sheet should melt, it would force the abandonment of thousands of coastal cities and communities. Rising seas and desertification will present the world with an unprecedented flow of environmental refugees and the potential for civil strife. We must deal with rapid population growth, advancing deserts, and rising seas. Growth in the human population is accompanied by a growth of livestock populations of more than 35 million per year. The rising concentrations of carbon dioxide that are destabilizing the earth's climate are driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Reverse these trends or risk being overwhelmed by them. The Population Reference Bureau's latest projections show that by 2025, Uganda's population will almost double to 56 million, and in 44 years its numbers will grow by nearly as many as China's. In Uganda more than a third of all women say they would like to stop or delay having children, but reproductive health experts say a lack of information and female contraceptives plays a major role. Donors must share in the blame, said the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Donors have shifted their focus to HIV and nobody is talking about it any more. Population is off the development agenda and that's a tragedy for Africa. The population of the US is projected to reach 300 million by October - a population growth rate comparable to that of China. Because of immigration, the number of people in the US could reach 400 million by 2050. About 76 million people are being added annually. This year's world grain harvest will fall short of consumption by 61 million tons. That's the sixth time in the past seven years that production has failed to satisfy demand. The world carry-over stocks of grain will fall to 57 days of consumption by the end of this year, the shortest buffer since a 56-day-low in 1956 doubled grain prices. Despite continued growth in world food output, the developing world had 815 million hungry people in 2002, 9 million less than in 1990. Population pressure in Mexico, Central America, and elsewhere has encouraged the flood of illegal immigrants in the US. Warren Buffett recognized population-related problems in announcing last week plans to donate $37.4 billion of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stock to several foundations including some he's created that emphasize family planning, abortion rights, environmental and conservation issues, and education for low-income children. Human beings are similar to other animals. As food availability increases, the population will grow. And some animals regulate their fertility if food gets scarce. In the case of humans, there must be recognition that population growth is a function of increases in food availability. Otherwise, increased disease and death rates may ultimately control population growth. Other factors will brake population growth, including environmental changes, resource restraints, and a decline in the quality of life. World oil output is predicted to peak within 15 years. Fresh water in some areas is in short supply. Farmland is being chewed up by suburbia. Global warming will force hundreds of millions of people out of coastal regions in the next century or so. One way to boost the world's food supply would be if people ate more grains and vegetables and less meat, the world could then feed another billion people. The average American consumes 20 times as much in natural resources as the average African and if all the people consumed at the level of high-income countries, the planet could support only 1.8 billion people, not the actual 6.5 billion. It is doubtful if measures to encourage family planning will restrain the world's population. Leaders must come up with intelligent, creative, inventive measures to discourage births. As many as 400 million people are at risk of starvation because of drought and crop failure. Britain will face flooding through increased rainfall and parts of the coastline could be washed away by rising seas. Saving the environment is a top priority. The US has 5% of the world's population but accounts for nearly a quarter of global emissions. Blair and Bush must act now to save the planet for future generations. Vote for, not against, The Last Judgment, today. Thank you. Garry W. DenkeGeologist/Geophysicist Quote
Boerseun Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 God said... ...there are too many souls on this planet, and many new developing planets need old souls.Sheesh, Garry - the first section of your post contains some scary info that's really discussable! Why screw it up with the above bit that might just send this very unsettling thread to the Strange Claims bin? I agree with all your points, but not for the reason you state here! Quote
InfiniteNow Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 Sheesh, Garry - the first section of your post contains some scary info that's really discussable! ...I agree with all your points, but not for the reason you state here! Actually Boerseun,You are agreeing with the points of these folks:Why Population Matters of WOA!! World Population Awareness Credit where credit is due and all... ...well, except for maybe that last part about hallucinating with god and hearing about absolutism in moral principles and floods being caused by abortions or something... I think that was all Garry's. Quote
Zythryn Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 I agree, the first section had a lot of scary information. The second part just went totally off track. Interestingly, due to tundra becoming usable land, I wonder if Russia is gaining useful acreage while China is loosing it to deserts? Potential source of conflict in 40-50 years? Mankind was able to increase its population density through technology (agriculture/irrigation, cities, etc). Mankind can continue to do so IF it is able to stop damaging the enviornment in such a way to reduce the land mankind can use. Draconian moves of population control are not needed, but may be the 'easy' way out. Quote
Garry Denke Posted March 15, 2007 Author Report Posted March 15, 2007 Sheesh, Garry - the first section of your post contains some scary info that's really discussable! Why screw it up with the above bit that might just send this very unsettling thread to the Strange Claims bin? I agree with all your points, but not for the reason you state here!If you do not like what God said, Boerseun, then delete it. Everyone here knows the "Password" of Garry Denke. Here are some problems associated with or exacerbated by human overpopulation. Inadequate fresh water for drinking water use as well as sewage treatment and effluent discharge. Depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels. Increased levels of air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and noise pollution. Deforestation and loss of ecosystems that sustain global atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide balance; about eight million hectares of forest are lost each year. Changes in atmospheric composition and consequent global warming. Irreversible loss of arable land and increases in desertification. Mass species extinctions from reduced habitat in tropical forests due to slash-and-burn techniques that sometimes are practiced by shifting cultivators, especially in countries with rapidly expanding rural populations; present extinction rates may be as high as 140,000 species lost per year. High infant and child mortality. Increased incidence of hemorrhagic fevers, HIV and other infectious diseases from crowding, disturbance of ecological systems and scarcity of available medical resources. Starvation, malnutrition or poor diet with ill health and diet-deficiency diseases. Poverty coupled with inflation in some regions and a resulting low level of capital formation. Low birth weight due to the inability of mothers to get enough resources to sustain a baby from fertilization to birth. Low life expectancy in countries with fastest growing populations. Unhygienic living conditions for many based upon water resource depletion, discharge of raw sewage and solid waste disposal. High rate of unemployment in urban areas. Elevated crime rate due to drug cartels and increased theft by people stealing resources to survive. Conflict over scarce resources and crowding, leading to increased levels of warfare. Over-utilization of infrastructure, such as mass transit, highways, and public health systems. Higher land prices. Vote for, not against, The Last Judgment, today. Thank you. Garry W. DenkeGeologist/Geophysicist Quote
Garry Denke Posted March 15, 2007 Author Report Posted March 15, 2007 Actually Boerseun, You are agreeing with the points of these folks: Why Population Matters of WOA!! World Population Awareness Credit where credit is due and all... well, except for maybe that last part about hallucinating with god and hearing about absolutism in moral principles and floods being caused by abortions or something... I think that was all Garry's.If you don't like what God said, InfiniteNow, then delete it.Hell, everyone here knows the "Password" of Garry Denke. The Last Judgment 1. AbortionGod said, abortion is now acceptable on this planet when solely desired by the embryo mother; there are too many souls on this planet, and many new developing planets need old souls. 2. Birth ControlGod said, birth control is now acceptable on this planet when solely desired by the male and the female; there are too many souls on this planet, and many new developing planets need old souls. 3. Death PenaltyGod said, death penalty is now acceptable on this planet when solely desired by the jurisdiction; there are too many souls on this planet, and many new developing planets need old souls. 4. EuthanasiaGod said, euthanasia is now acceptable on this planet when solely desired by the body's owner; there are too many souls on this planet, and many new developing planets need old souls. 5. Embryonic Stem Cell ResearchGod said, embryonic stem cell research is now acceptable on this planet when solely desired by the embryo owner; there are too many souls on this planet, and many new developing planets need old souls. 6. Human CloningGod said, human cloning is now acceptable on this planet when solely desired by the donor(s): however; there are too many souls on this planet, and many new developing planets need old souls. 7. MarriageGod said, marriage is not acceptable on this planet; as it is written in Matthew at 22:30, for in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God on heaven. I'm an atheist, InfiniteNow, but, I'm with God on this one.God said, vote for, not against, The Last Judgment, today. Thank you. Garry W. DenkeGeologist/Geophysicist Quote
Zythryn Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 Huh? I don't think I could have said it better myself. Gary, you are not making much sense here:confused: Quote
freeztar Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 The price of unchecked human expansion....immenseThe price of hearing an atheist put words in God's mouth....priceless! Zythryn 1 Quote
pgrmdave Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 [*]Mounting population densities, once generated by the addition of over 70 million people per year, are now also fueled by the advance of deserts and the rise in sea level.[*]China is losing productive land at an accelerating rate. From 1950 to 1975 China lost an average of 600 square miles to desert each year. By 2000, 1,400 square miles were going to desert annually. [*]Further east, the Gobi Desert is within 150 miles of Beijing. [*]Chinese scientists report that over the last half-century, 24,000 villages in northern and western China were abandoned as they were overrun by drifting sand. [*]Kazakhstan, site of the vast Soviet Virgin Lands Project, has abandoned nearly half of its cropland since 1980. [*]In Afghanistan, with a population of 31 million, the Registan Desert is encroaching on agricultural areas. [*]A UNEP team reports that up to 100 villages have been submerged by windblown dust and sand. [*]Iran, which has 70 million people and 80 million goats and sheep, is losing its battle with the desert. [*]In 2002 sand storms buried 124 villages in the southeastern province forcing their abandonment. [*]The Sahara Desert is pushing the populations of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria northward toward the Mediterranean.[*]Nigeria is losing 1,355 square miles to desertification each year.[*]While Nigeria's human population grew from 33 million in 1950 to 134 million in 2006, its livestock population grew from 6 million to 66 million. [*]In Mexico, the degradation of cropland forces some 700,000 Mexicans off the land each year in search of jobs in nearby cities or in the United States. [*]During the twentieth century, sea level rose by 6 inches. During this century seas may rise by 4 to 35 inches. [*]Since 2001, record-high temperatures have accelerated ice melting making it likely that the future rise in sea level will be even greater. [*]If the Greenland ice sheet, a mile thick in some places, were to melt entirely it would raise sea level by 23 feet, or 7 meters. [*]A one-meter rise would inundate many of the rice-growing river deltas and floodplains of India, Thailand, Viet Nam, Indonesia, and China. [*]A one-meter rise in sea level would cause some 30 million Bangladeshis to migrate, internally or to other countries. [*]Hundreds of cities would be at least partly inundated, including London, Alexandria, and Bangkok. [*]More than a third of Shanghai, would be under water. [*]A one-meter rise combined with a 50-year storm surge would leave large portions of Lower Manhattan and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., flooded. [*]Growth in the human population is accompanied by a growth of livestock populations of more than 35 million per year. [*]The rising concentrations of carbon dioxide that are destabilizing the earth's climate are driven by the burning of fossil fuels. [*]The Population Reference Bureau's latest projections show that by 2025, Uganda's population will almost double to 56 million, and in 44 years its numbers will grow by nearly as many as China's. [*]In Uganda more than a third of all women say they would like to stop or delay having children, but reproductive health experts say a lack of information and female contraceptives plays a major role. [*]Donors must share in the blame, said the International Planned Parenthood Federation. [*]Because of immigration, the number of people in the US could reach 400 million by 2050. [*]About 76 million people are being added annually. [*]This year's world grain harvest will fall short of consumption by 61 million tons. [*]That's the sixth time in the past seven years that production has failed to satisfy demand. [*]The world carry-over stocks of grain will fall to 57 days of consumption by the end of this year, the shortest buffer since a 56-day-low in 1956 doubled grain prices. [*]Despite continued growth in world food output, the developing world had 815 million hungry people in 2002, 9 million less than in 1990[*]World oil output is predicted to peak within 15 years. [*]One way to boost the world's food supply would be if people ate more grains and vegetables and less meat, the world could then feed another billion people. [*]The average American consumes 20 times as much in natural resources as the average African and if all the people consumed at the level of high-income countries, the planet could support only 1.8 billion people, not the actual 6.5 billion. [*]As many as 400 million people are at risk of starvation because of drought and crop failure.[*]The US has 5% of the world's population but accounts for nearly a quarter of global emissions. Here is a series of quantifiable facts. While I don't necessarily doubt the veracity of them, I do think that it is your responsibility, as per the rules of this forum, to provide sources for these facts, or what data you used to form these statements. Quote
jackson33 Posted March 15, 2007 Report Posted March 15, 2007 in disagreement with most all the listed facts, there is nothing that cannot be found on one google search in GW. certainly i would hope any person seriously interested in the subject, should have a basic knowledge of the pros or cons to an opinion, especially if formed... a couple disagreements; the US contributes about 25% of the *man made* CO2 and near to this in other harmful elements into the atmosphere. this happens to be about .0125 and 1/5th of trace amounts of the .045 total of CO2 and trace amounts of methane and other elements, that are in the atmosphere. the US in turn produces larger amounts of food, feed, meat (all kinds) and products than all of Africa and per capita any other nation. parts, natural resources and many things are shipped for production or use of many things that give comfort to people around the world. China today (not last century) has the lowest birth rates of any nation at about 1.5 per couple, the US about 2 and Africa about 2.7 to give some comparisons. people move to urban areas in the US, or any country for jobs.jobs create wealth and wealth is perceived something good and worth the efforts. no body is being squeezed by deserts, oceans or for that matter any other reason. they choose and this to is a good thing. relates to above; where i live in SE New Mexico, there are 20 towns abandoned or what we call ghost towns. it doesn't take a scientist to figure this out, the people moved. drifting sand is a problem is Yuma Arizona and most of the mid east. sand storms are common and were around before, during and will be after were gone. crop lands in the US are greatly reduce over the past 50 years, in many places because there is simply no reason to farm 100 ac. of something, competing with a commercial operation in Wyoming or California can dedicate 10000 ac. to the same item and harvest at 1/2 or less the cost per ac...and i wont go into just how much more per ac. is produced today than those 50 year ago figures. i would love to get into peak oil, but will save for another day...by the way, i oppose the notion that man is causing GW, but have seen every quote many times. Quote
Garry Denke Posted March 16, 2007 Author Report Posted March 16, 2007 Huh?Boerseun, Percent atheists, agnostics, non-believers in God by Country Percent atheists, agnostics, non-believers in God by Country - SwivelEdit Graph - Percent atheists, agnostics, non-believers in God by Country - Swivel United States is dead last. This is going to be a tough sell. Garry W. DenkeGeologist/Geophysicist Quote
freeztar Posted March 16, 2007 Report Posted March 16, 2007 Percent atheists, agnostics, non-believers in God by Country Percent atheists, agnostics, non-believers in God by Country - SwivelEdit Graph - Percent atheists, agnostics, non-believers in God by Country - Swivel United States is dead last. This is going to be a tough sell. Garry W. DenkeGeologist/Geophysicist Huh? Quote
pgrmdave Posted March 16, 2007 Report Posted March 16, 2007 Okay, so the graph (culled from this data: Adherents.com: Atheist Statistics | Agnostic *notice the wide spread of possible percentages*) shows us that the US has a lot of people who believe in God. But what does that have to do with any of the facts for which I asked for data? Quote
Boerseun Posted March 16, 2007 Report Posted March 16, 2007 He prolly wants to sell his Last Judgement idea. This has been sold in some form or another for thousands of years now, with every generation 'living in the Last Days'. It hasn't changed, and doesn't seem like it'll change soon, either. But for at least 2,000 years, every doomcaller have been proven demonstrably wrong. After all, we're still here, aren't we? Quote
Garry Denke Posted March 16, 2007 Author Report Posted March 16, 2007 I agree, the first section had a lot of scary information. The second part just went totally off track.Hello Zythryn, sorry, missed you. Interestingly, due to tundra becoming usable land, I wonder if Russia is gaining useful acreage while China is loosing it to deserts?Global Warming is Good for Russia (TreeHugger) Potential source of conflict in 40-50 years?China invading Russia for survival? Mankind was able to increase its population density through technology (agriculture/irrigation, cities, etc). Mankind can continue to do so IF it is able to stop damaging the environment in such a way to reduce the land mankind can use. Draconian moves of population control are not needed, but may be the 'easy' way out.STERILISATION IN INDIA. - HighBeam Encyclopedia Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. (Ancient Indian Proverb) Garry W. DenkeGeologist/Geophysicist Quote
pgrmdave Posted March 16, 2007 Report Posted March 16, 2007 Garry Denke, I asked for information backing up some of those claims in your first post. Provide them, as they are currently in violation of the first rule on our rules page: In general, back up your claims by using links or references. I expect that you will soon post links to data confirming these facts. Quote
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