Chris Packham : 7.7 billion people and counting

[Andrew]

Did anyone watch this prog on BBC2 last night? World human population (or over population!) is something I've been concerned about for years. The population graph is just plain scary... but why is no one talking about it?? Like Mr Packham says.. it's a rather large Elephant in the room.

All the climate change and extinction rebellion stuff to me, is so obviously linked to the simple fact there are far too many of us on this planet?

The program claims is we are at 7.7 billion now and by 2050 we'll be at 10 billion? Can the planet handle that number of humans?

[cast iron]

the problem is obvious, the answer no so much, do we adopt the Chinese max of 1 baby per couple? do we stop treating illnesses, thinking Jehovahs witness style?

Youd think evolution would step in at some point

 

[Steve (sdh2903)]

Having watched the grand tour episode the other day, Mongolia has plenty of space 

 

Seriously though how do you slow population growth? Go down the route of the chinese? Tax per child? Education in the less developed countries? 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

We used to let war, disease and famine sort it out.

[Stuart]

Chinese model has big problems.  They demolished all the hutongs (bit like our old back to backs) and built massive tower blocks.  So all these only children don't play in the streets with other kids any more but stay home alone

[Jim RS]

Big problem with Chinese 1+1=1 is that you develop an older culture and reduce the younger amount of eligible working persons, this also promoted sexual discimination with the termination of female offspring( their opinion - less valuable working potential).

My visit to China last year frightened me as to the consequences of world over population and how can it be rectified especially with countries trying to out compete others with just by multiplication of people. China's young persons ethic is that the answer will come in space travel and basically ravage the Earth.

[ACW]

Coronavirus....

[Marcus Barlow - Show and Events Co-ordinator]

2 hours ago, Andrew said:

by 2050 we'll be at 10 billion? Can the planet handle that number of humans?

 

no............ there is a very good documentary called 10 billion by Stephen Emmot worth a watch

 

 

[BigSkyBrad]

We need food, fresh water and clean air to survive and we are running out of all three to support the 7.7 million we have at the moment. Our land mass is only so big, and as the salt water oceans rise we will lose more land. There is 2+billion in India and China alone and they all want fed and watered.

 

By 2035 I reckon you’ll need an armed escort from the front door of the supermarket to your car to prevent food-jacking. It’s going to get scary.

 

I saw a doco the other month that said for every three ton of fish in the ocean there is one ton of plastic in there with them. We constantly lose food crop land to plant-oil crops for biofuel. And we constantly lose forest land to give over to those crops.

 

I feel sorry for any child born now, because their future is quite frankly f"*@’d. I’m just glad I’ll be pegging out before it all turns to crap. And be back in relatively self-sufficient NZ, where it’s only 5 million people on a land mass bigger than Great Britain, though there is the threat that that valuable and arable land will be desirable to the over-populated, the amount of land the chinese are buying up around the world is staggering. Isolation is NZ's only defence now that the defence force scrapped their strike wing (don’t get me started on that one!). There is 390 million Indonesians clinging to a string of islands just an overloaded boat trip from 24 million Aussies with a whole continent to themselves - I've been on one of their airforce bases up in the Northern Territory, the Aussies are paranoid and very ready.

 

2 hours ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

We used to let war, disease and famine sort it out.

Live/Band Aid has a lot to answer for.

[Alan France]

I don’t believe many of Mr Packham’s predictions are valid, there are many alternative views. See this one.

 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/17/worlds-population-is-projected-to-nearly-stop-growing-by-the-end-of-the-century/

Mismatch of workers to pensioners, that’s another story.

[Andrew]

18 minutes ago, Alan France said:

I don’t believe many of Mr Packham’s predictions are valid, there are many alternative views. See this one.

 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/17/worlds-population-is-projected-to-nearly-stop-growing-by-the-end-of-the-century/

Mismatch of workers to pensioners, that’s another story.

 

That alternative view isn't any more comforting? 10.9 billion people on the planet by 2100. What's 50 years in the great scheme.. 

 

[Alan France]

6 minutes ago, Andrew said:

 

That alternative view isn't any more comforting? 10.9 billion people on the planet by 2100. What's 50 years in the great scheme.. 

 

I just don’t agree with the pessimistic long term view. There are many things “mankind” can do to adjust. 10.9b is a lot of clever people, perhaps one or two may have good ideas to improve life for the others.

 

Like climate change, will we all just sit around when sea levels rise?

 

The average high temperature in Helsinki is 21 degrees, and in Singapore 32 degrees so the “nightmare” 1 degree global increase will make Singapore hotter but Helsinki rather pleasant.

[Steve (sdh2903)]

35 minutes ago, Alan France said:

The average high temperature in Helsinki is 21 degrees, and in Singapore 32 degrees so the “nightmare” 1 degree global increase will make Singapore hotter but Helsinki rather pleasant.

 

Oh dear. That sounds like it's been pulled straight from the Donald J Trump playbook.

[Alan France]

3 minutes ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

 

Oh dear. That sounds like it's been pulled straight from the Donald J Trump playbook.

dear oh dear. Not a fan of the Donald. Temperatures in those locations are fact, rest is just my opinion.

I could well be wrong.

[Steve (sdh2903)]

I'm no scientist but I dont think the temperatures in Helsinki or Singapore are really the focus. They'll both probably be underwater anyway if we get another degree on top of existing rise in temps.