Earth's Population

[MagnetMan]

about 250,000 times its current population. This is still a minuscule fraction of the Earth’s mass of about 8*10^22 human beings, so not really a lot in terms of mass. Energy seems to be the limiting factor. This maximum population results in about 3.5 humans per square meter of surface (including oceans), well within reasonable limits of building “stacking”.

 

Which makes the current global management policy of zero population growth look even more like a negative approach to the challenges of the future. Not including the fact that it is a gross etical violation of natural intent. Ots application in China and India has produced inhuman results, that make a mockery of traditional family values. Once those are trashed entire civilizations collapse.

 

I have eight kids. Each spaced three years apart. The solcialization of correct sibling interactions works for a wonderful atmosphere of family harmony. The younger learn from the older, who in turn learn more by teaching. All work together to keep chores evenly spread. Thus they grow up to be responsible adults.

 

I for one advocate a return to the old style of large families, now that we know the Earth can support billions more. What we need now is a brand new globalized occupational contract that does away with the inequalities of our current econimoc systems and gets us all working together to steward the home planet as a single family estate.

[dagaz]

I don't believe that the Earth is supporting the current population. In some affluent countries, yes. But there are a hell of a lot of people living in extreme poverty, with little or no access to clean drinking water and basic rights that those of us in the West take for granted.

 

Even here in Australia I've spent time in Aboriginal missions where they are just living in the most dreadful conditions. Yet we have CEO's on multi-million $ contracts that care about no-one but themselves. If humanity is to get serious about living sustainably on this planet we're somehow going to have to overcome a lot of innate greed and selfishness.

 

Also we are seeing species become extinct every day, greenhouse gases increasing, etc... We are currently conducting a massive experiment with the only planet known to support life - just how much can we screw it around before we overstep the mark?

[InfiniteNow]

Can you imagine the birth of your beautiful baby daughter, and the government forcing you to kill her? Yeah... that'd go over well.

 

Right. So, what can we do?

 

 

NOVA | World in the Balance | PBS

 

For millions of years, our distant ancestors led a precarious existence as scavengers, hunters, and gatherers, and there were fewer than 10 million human beings on Earth at any one time. But over the last two centuries, the world's population has skyrocketed. By October of 1999, some crowded cities had more than 10 million inhabitants each, and six billion people shared space on the planet. Trace the dramatic growth and spread of human populations on our global map, and see where on Earth as many as three billion more people may live by 2050. To launch this interactive, click on the image at left.—Susan K. Lewis

 

For decades environmentalists have warned that ever-rising numbers of people and their impact on the Earth's finite resources could lead to disaster, not only for wildlife and ecosystems but also for human populations. With each passing year, as scientists gather and publish more data that graphically reveal the link between population growth and environmental degradation, those warnings are becoming harder to ignore. In this map-based feature, gauge the scope and effects, both actual and potential, of the human "footprint" on our planet. To launch the interactive, click on the image at left.—Lexi Krock

[Jay-qu]

Cool little interative - but I think the future predictions are a bit off. I would guess that they overestimate the growth in asia, and underestimate the growth in Australia and America. Thats not to say that asians stop their population growth, just the distribution, I think they will spread out past their own borders instead of been stuck in their small part of the world.