something for you doomsters:We're Headed For A Disaster Of Biblical Proportions

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Free Thinker, Nov 21, 2012.

  1. of course this problem is easily solved if we can beat back the religious ignorance that stands in the way of cheap effective birth control:

    GRANTHAM: We're Headed For A Disaster Of Biblical Proportions
    Last year, legendary investor Jeremy Grantham of GMO published a treatise on exploding commodity prices.

    He also offered a startlingly depressing outlook for the future of humanity.

    Grantham believes the world has undergone a permanent "paradigm shift" in which the number of people on Earth has finally and permanently outstripped the planet's ability to support us.

    The phenomenon of ever-more humans using a finite supply of natural resources cannot continue forever, Grantham says--and the prices of metals, hydrocarbons (oil), and food are now beginning to reflect that.

    In other words, Grantham says, it is different this time.

    Grantham believes that the planet can only sustainably support about 1.5 billion humans, versus the 7 billion on Earth right now (heading to 10-12 billion). For all of history except the last 200 years, the human population has been controlled via the limits of the food supply. Grantham thinks that, eventually, the same force will come into play again.

    The hope of the optimists, of course, is that science will find a solution to this problem, the way it has for the past 150 years.

    Let's hope so.

    In the meantime, here's a snapshot of Grantham's argument, along with his key points at the end.
    http://www.businessinsider.com/were-headed-for-a-disaster-of-biblical-proportions-2012-11
     
  2. jem

    jem

    you are confusing birth control with population control... sort of the orwellian mis direction you lefties love to make.
     
  3. lol. you catholics. you have to just laugh.
     
  4. Sad that that's the only thing he got out of the post. 70% of the world is going to be starved out of existence by grantham's estimate and he's quibbling over terms.
     
  5. Last year, legendary investor Jeremy Grantham of GMO published a treatise on exploding commodity prices.
    ----------------------------------------

    Copper is up the world is going to end?:eek:
     
  6. And global warming, sea level rise and acidification will exacerbate the problem. Wars will be fought over water. Droughts will cause starvation. Heat waves and pestilence will kill. The ocean will die back leading to more starvation.

    I need a drink.
     
  7. Agree with the drink, and go ahead Luke, say something about me drinking. Which I do little of.

    OK, we all have to get past some of the political discussions. What ever happened to Zero Population Growth. Never mind, I know.

    Any business person, and any thinking person in general, would understand the concept of too many mouths to feed.

    Now, we can look at this in a way that we put all our confidence in science to Fix everything. I can certainly appreciate that, I have money in more than a few companies who promise such things. Not my best investments for sure. The point is, if we can do simple things that will not do damage, and May help, I say Why Not?

    Don't get all crazy, meaning we need not all buy electric cars or stop eating meat, heaven forbid. I like my cars. But, basics like recycling, re-purposing, which I have personally learned a lot about over the last few months here in Amsterdam. I cannot believe the stupid machines they were using for simple tasks, much less their methods of distribution, but I digress.

    Maybe just Do Harm would be something to think about.
     
  8. can anyone make a case for needing more people in the world?
     
  9. Gods will. Go forth and multiply. it says so right there in the bronze-age book of myths and half-truths. Come on, get with the program.
     
  10. Does china have an advantage over the rest of the world? Lots of people there.
     
    #10     Nov 21, 2012