World's population is supposed to hit 8 billion tomorrow. It was probably less than 2.5 when I was born. Surely we must be getting near to the Great Filter.
8 Billion
- Thread starter njpaddy
- Start date
It is an unsustainable number.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
WOW, that is a large # of people that consumes earths given resources. I think that future generations will bring agriculture and finite minerals as a priority if it is not already. The earth has a way of correcting imbalances sometimes and us humans will adapt with the changing times it seems hopefully.
Thinking out loud, I think we are living at the pinnacle of life in the Western world, just enjoy it for now & take it day to day is all I try to do.
Thinking out loud, I think we are living at the pinnacle of life in the Western world, just enjoy it for now & take it day to day is all I try to do.
The time of the great harvest must surely be near.
Human nature being what it is, we have have a knack for creating our own little snaps.
I liked that documentary.
We're eating ourselves out of house and home.
If we feed half the population to the other half we could probably buy ourselves another fifty years.
Soylent Green.
Snap!
If we feed the homeless to the hungry, we solve two problems.
The planet can actually sustain double that number, how we use the resources is a totally different game.
I work at a grain storage facility and believe me when I say, we have enough grain to feed the world over. But when we decided that feeding an animal 10 pounds of grain so we can get 1 pound of meat, thats when the math doesn't add up. Top it off that when there is surplus, we rather put it away and let it rot than sell it cheap
I am not against meat, is delicious! But the way we’ve handle money making business instead of food making business, thats whats unsustainable. Look at whats happening with Russia and Ukraine, without even mentioning politics, they are the 2 top producers of wheat at the other side of the pond, if that war continuous they way it has being, numerous countries dependent on the grain are at risk of..not hunger…but widespread famine. is not about the number of people, is about how are we using the planet that is utter nonsense.
I work at a grain storage facility and believe me when I say, we have enough grain to feed the world over. But when we decided that feeding an animal 10 pounds of grain so we can get 1 pound of meat, thats when the math doesn't add up. Top it off that when there is surplus, we rather put it away and let it rot than sell it cheap
I am not against meat, is delicious! But the way we’ve handle money making business instead of food making business, thats whats unsustainable. Look at whats happening with Russia and Ukraine, without even mentioning politics, they are the 2 top producers of wheat at the other side of the pond, if that war continuous they way it has being, numerous countries dependent on the grain are at risk of..not hunger…but widespread famine. is not about the number of people, is about how are we using the planet that is utter nonsense.
I would recommend Jared Diamond’s book “Collapse” for a detailed look at what you just described, if you haven’t read it.The planet can actually sustain double that number, how we use the resources is a totally different game.
I work at a grain storage facility and believe me when I say, we have enough grain to feed the world over. But when we decided that feeding an animal 10 pounds of grain so we can get 1 pound of meat, thats when the math doesn't add up. Top it off that when there is surplus, we rather put it away and let it rot than sell it cheap
I am not against meat, is delicious! But the way we’ve handle money making business instead of food making business, thats whats unsustainable. Look at whats happening with Russia and Ukraine, without even mentioning politics, they are the 2 top producers of wheat at the other side of the pond, if that war continuous they way it has being, numerous countries dependent on the grain are at risk of..not hunger…but widespread famine. is not about the number of people, is about how are we using the planet that is utter nonsense.
Edit: https://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Societies-Choose-Fail-Succeed/dp/0670033375/
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The planet can actually sustain double that number, how we use the resources is a totally different game.
I work at a grain storage facility and believe me when I say, we have enough grain to feed the world over. But when we decided that feeding an animal 10 pounds of grain so we can get 1 pound of meat, thats when the math doesn't add up. Top it off that when there is surplus, we rather put it away and let it rot than sell it cheap
I am not against meat, is delicious! But the way we’ve handle money making business instead of food making business, thats whats unsustainable. Look at whats happening with Russia and Ukraine, without even mentioning politics, they are the 2 top producers of wheat at the other side of the pond, if that war continuous they way it has being, numerous countries dependent on the grain are at risk of..not hunger…but widespread famine. is not about the number of people, is about how are we using the planet that is utter nonsense.
The cost of war is more than most imagine.
No doubt 8 billion is a milestone number and it grabs the headlines. People have been living longer due to better medical care so it is not only about more children being born. But for the future, what matters is the current rate of growth - that has now fallen to under under 1% annually.
According to the UN, the growth in worldwide population is projected to level out: Global population reaches 8 billion Tuesday in historic milestone for humanity, UN says - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/14/world-population-8-billion-people/10698889002/
Pertinent notes:
1974 worldwide population was 4 billion.
2022 worldwide population is 8 billion.
Global life expectancy:
1990: 64 years old
2019: 73 years old
2050 (projected): 77 years old
Fertility rates have dropped:
1950 births per woman was 5 children.
2022 births per woman is 2.3 children and falling.
UN projects worldwide population to hit 10.4 billion but not until 2080 and plateau at that number.
And, of course, those are just projections but generally may indicate a trend.
According to the UN, the growth in worldwide population is projected to level out: Global population reaches 8 billion Tuesday in historic milestone for humanity, UN says - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/14/world-population-8-billion-people/10698889002/
Pertinent notes:
1974 worldwide population was 4 billion.
2022 worldwide population is 8 billion.
Global life expectancy:
1990: 64 years old
2019: 73 years old
2050 (projected): 77 years old
Fertility rates have dropped:
1950 births per woman was 5 children.
2022 births per woman is 2.3 children and falling.
UN projects worldwide population to hit 10.4 billion but not until 2080 and plateau at that number.
And, of course, those are just projections but generally may indicate a trend.
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One reason for the decline in birth rates is the improved viability of fetus due to improved medical care. Pediatric survival rates have also benefitted.
