cost and effect it would have worldwide of eliminating 3 billion people from the over taxed planet was real....they are saying that 3 billion must die if the planet is to sustain life beyond fifty years :scared:
http://dieoff.org/page13.htmINVESTING IN NATURAL CAPITAL:
THE ECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY
published by The International Society for Ecological Economics and Island Press, 1994. Phone: 800-828-1302 or 707-983-6432; FAX: 707-983-6164
CARRYING CAPACITY REVISITED
"Ecologists define 'carrying capacity' as the population of a given species that be supported indefinitely in a defined habitat without permanently damaging the ecosystem upon which it is dependent. However, because of our culturally variable technology, different consumption patterns, and trade, a simple territorially-bounded head-count cannot apply to human beings. Human carrying capacity must be interpreted as the maximum rate of resource consumption and waste discharge that can be sustained indefinitely without progressively impairing the functional integrity and productivity of relevant ecosystems wherever the latter may be. The corresponding human population is a function of per capita rates of material consumption and waste output or net productivity divided by per capita demand (Rees 1990). This formulation is a simple restatement of Hardin's (1991) 'Third Law of Human Ecology':
(Total human impact on the ecosphere) = (Population) x (Per capita impact).
"Early versions of this law date from Ehrlich and Holdren who also recognized that human impact is a product of population, affluence (consumption), and technology: I = PAT (Ehrlich and Holdren 1971; Holdren and Ehrlich 1974). The important point here is that a given rate of resource throughput can support fewer people well or greater numbers at subsistence levels.
"Now the inverse of traditional carrying capacity provides an estimate of natural capital requirements in terms of productive landscape. Rather than asking what population a particular region can support sustainably, the question becomes: How much productive land and water area in various ecosystems is required to support the region's population indefinitely at current consumption levels?
more....
http://webhome.idirect.com/~occpehr/articles/ecology_v16_2.htmTowards an Understanding of the Primary Ecological Challenges of the 21st Century
Or Let’s Fearlessly Explore the Heart of the Beast: Shall We?
By Bernard Eccles - The ACTivist Volume 16, Number 2
"We are biological beings, as dependent on the biosphere as any other life form. And we forget our animal nature at our peril. As we undermine clean air, water, soil and energy, as we burn fossil fuels beyond the capacity of the Earth to reabsorb the greenhouse molecules thus created, as we use our surroundings as dumping grounds for toxic effluents, and as we degrade pristine areas once teeming with other life and resources, I believe we are embarking on a suicidal path."
DAVID SUZUKI, CO-AUTHOR WITH HOLLY DREASEL.
FROM NAKED APE TO SUPERSPECIES
more...
"Beyond Malthus" by Lester R. Brown , Gary Gardner , Brian Halweil, 1999
This book is a great book that brings to light some of the problems the world currently faces. During the last half century the world population has more then doubled, climbing from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 5.9 billion in 1998. Malthus foresaw food shortages and famine because of the massive increase in population growth. The rise in the worldwide population accompanied with consumption is pushing the planets beyond its natural limits.
Throughout this book nineteen main environmental issues are addressed. I decided to focus on three main topics, that I feel are the most important; they are fresh water, biodiversity, and waste. Evidence of water stress is seen all over the world. According to Brown there will be scarcely one fourth as much fresh water per person in 2050 as there was in 1950. Worldwide, some 70 percent of the water pumped from underground wells or diverted from rivers is used for irragation, 20 percent is used for industrial purposes, and 10 percent for residental use. As population keeps growing more water is being diverted to urban areas, this is the same water that is usually used for irrigation. The main point being addressed is that the shortage of water means the decrease in food being produced.
The next topic covered in the book is biodiversity. As human populations keep growing other species are affected, some to the point of extinction. According to Brown the major source of species loss is habitat alteration, invasion by exotic species, pollution, and over hunting. As populations keep growing more people are forced into undeveloped areas that our host to many different species. This is where over hunting comes into play. People have to eat, or make a living selling skins or other animal parts. This problem is the greatest in underdeveloped countries where there are little or no conservation laws.
The last topic addressed is waste control. With a constant increase in population, the flow of waste products into landfills and waterways is increasing. Municipal waste is a major source of this problem. On average 824 million tons of waste are produced in developing countries each year. With an increase in population growth this number will rise to 1.4 billion in 2050. It is suggested that government agencies have to step in order to regulate this problem. Finding new ways to dispose of waste have to be discovered in order for the world to live with less disease.
Overall I felt this book was very informative about some of the problems of the world. I wish there were more solutions for what needs to be done in order to solve these problems. I think more education needs to be conducted in developing countries to reduce birth rates. According to Brown the current fertility rate in Pakistan is six children per woman and nearly seven in Ethiopia. These numbers have to be lowered in order for these countries to sustain a reasonable standard of living.
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