Can Mother Earth Sustain Her Population?

By definition the answer is yes.
'Entitlement' is an odd choice of word... life isn't fair, there is no 'entitlement', I was fortunate to be born in the UK... however any 'entitlement' to land has long since been gobbled up by the Church, Royalty and the MOD.
The Antarctic continent seems to be sustaining its human population admirably.
Del

Yes, I agree! the Antarctic do a great job on population control!

Re: It would be more efficient if we, as a species, could plan these things out in an orderly fashion, but that just isn't human nature. So, we wait until the crises looms big and then people come up with a solution, fix that problem, then stumble blindly onto the next crises.

I'd like to think that at some point we can get smarter / better / more compassionate. Is there no hope, as lyn implies in post #3?

Hope all you want. Smoke hope if you want.

When it all is said and done the only person you need to (or really can) change is yourself. If that path is true, others will follow.

Mother Earth is under no particular obligation to sustain her population.

There is no entitlement, you work for what you have.

The insignificance of mankind to mother earth is just about infinite. Nothing man has ever done, or ever will do, will have even the slightest impact on the earth.

Why not worry about something you can change?

Re: The insignificance of mankind to mother earth is just about infinite. Nothing man has ever done, or ever will do, will have even the slightest impact on the earth.

At a certain level, I agree with you. And, I appreciate the biomass numbers that tcmtech provided in post #6.

But mankind can affect mankind's environment on earth, and thus mankind's ability to survive on earth.

I'm sort of anthropocentric--I'd like to see the earth survive, but I'm more interested in seeing mankind (or our genetic successors) survive and thrive.

"But mankind can affect mankind's environment on earth, and thus mankind's ability to survive on earth."

But the earth doesn't care if we are here, or not. Apparently mankind doesn't care very much either. The word avarice comes to mind here.

I don't really expect the earth to care.

I was hoping some other people cared.

I care! but at .0007% I don't care that much.

Too much of this 'too many humans' gripes come across as being a direct relation to the 'too much CO2' and where it comes from issue. On the grand scales in either realm we not add up or contribute to either nearly what we think we do.

However for all of those who really think there are too many humans feel free to lead the way in your cause by working as true representatives of your cause and, well you know... thin yourselves out first.

As far as us humans go we only add up to around 400 million tons of biomass out of system that is supporting around 560+ billion tons with a annual replacement rate of roughly 100 billion tons. That puts us at around .0007% of the total biomass.

For reference ants alone have us outweighed around 10:1 biomass wise.

Sorry but we have a long long long way to go before we become the biggest stink in the poo pile.

Re: As far as us humans go we only add up to around 400 million tons of biomass out of system that is supporting around 560+ billion tons with a annual replacement rate of roughly 100 billion tons. That puts us at around .0007% of the total biomass.

I don't think our effect on planet earth can be considered as proportional to our percentage of the total biomass.

Re: I don't think our effect on planet earth can be considered as proportional to our percentage of the total biomass.

I wish the edit period was longer than 15 minutes, I wanted to state that a little more strongly or to the point, maybe: I don't think our effect on planet earth can be considered only as proportional to our percentage of the total biomass--I think we have a much bigger effect than that.

In some ways yes but a largest percentage of our collective actions are still based in the life cycles and related actions of nature just the same. We grow crops for our own use but those crops still follow the same life cycles and laws of nature just the same.

I have heard numerous times that when people like me burn firewood we are releasing more CO2 into the air but yet if that same wood decomposes on its own and produces the same amount of CO2 then it doesn't count.

Its this one sided belief that whatever we humans use out of nature becomes bad and is no longer part of any valid natural life cycle that irritates me.

We are not entitled to anything.

The sooner everyone realises that fact, the better off we will be.

Nothing makes me happy............................and I am always happy.

Because you have plenty of nothing right here. ;-)

It's endless.

I'm here for the same reason as everyone else...........................nobody else cares, or will listen to what I have to say......................only here. And even that doesn't last very long.

I don't mean to sound wicked here no matter what my reputation for evil may be, but the truth is that no matter how severely overpopulated a community is, eventually it will reach a sustainable stable level. How?

1. Once there's insufficient food and water, the strong will overpower the weak to seize control of the rations.
2. The weak in turn will eat the bodies of the slain out of hunger and desperation.
3. The weak may also eventually decide they have nothing to lose and form a mob to kill the strong and grab their share of the rations.
4. Eventually, enough people will have died in all the food riots and what not until there's enough to go around.

I know this sounds wicked but that is the reality of life in a neglected refugee camp. Whenever relief supplies are delivered the strong will seize control of them and hoard them for themselves or sell them off at exorbitant rates to the weak. The weak who cannot afford either die or prey on those even weaker. Eventually an uprising that results in the killing of the strong will occur once the weak unite themselves. And the whole cycle will just keep repeating itself.

"Wicked"? hardly - there is even a movie _{(note the book publication date)}

34................you should be ashamed of yourself. Link

Moi? Well, ok, sorry, I guess there's alternatives "in the pipeline" link

^{_{(or that's what they are telling you it's made from)}}

The sustainable human population was reported recently as 11 million.....

The ecological footprint of the UK exceeds its land area, reportedly, by a factor of 2.5......

The land area of the UK is only sufficient to grow enough food for the population living and working in Central and Greater London......

Good 'ere, innit?

Dear Mr.bravo88,

Recently I read one article about the SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES of the CARBON-Di-OXIDE Level build up in the Atmospheric Air. About 6 months back, it has crossed 400 PPM. In the past 50 Years the CO2 Emission Rate and other green house gases are very high when compared to earlier centuries.

The CARBON-Di-OXIDE Level build up in the Atmospheric Air is at EVER INCREASING RATE due to 3 reasons, which all of us know. 1. Enormous Fossil Fuel Burning. 2. Higher automobile vehicle and Air Craft usage. The Air Craft - jet engines have voracious appetite for fuel. 3. Ever increasing rate of Deforestation.

Item No. 1 and 2 combined level has crossed 40 Giga Tonnes/Year. Item No.3, Deforestation is also increasing rate than never before, and presently it is about 16%, and forest Area is diminishing at a fast rate than earlier centuries. All the above 3 activities is man made problem, and therefore Carbon-DiOxide absorption level by trees coming down, ocean is becoming acidic, Global Atmospheric temp. is on the rise, leading to melting of Ice, leading to rise of water level of Sea/Ocean. It is estimated that in another 60 Years, 14% of the Land surface on this globe - i.e. Mother Earth will be submerged under water.

You could have seen a video, IN YOU TUBE, where the MALDIVES, President has conducted a meeting under the Sea-Water, during October 2009, to attract the attention of the whole world, the reason being that in another 15 years, half of the Maldives Land Surface will be under water, forcing people to leave out of that area.

While addressing a Press Conference, THE MALDIVE PRESIDENT RAISED A QUESTION " NOW WE ARE MOVING TO OTHER AREA WITH IN MALDIVES, WHERE WATER HAS NOT SUBMERGED, THEN WHERE WE WILL GO.? WHERE OUR GRAND CHILDREN WILL GO OUT OF MALDIVES.?"

Pl. Open the following links one by one and that will tell more.

https://www.google.co.in/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=pw4EVLSGC8aFoAPikYLQDA&gws_rd=ssl#q=maldives+government+underwater+cabinet+meeting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NeBCFG7ROM

http://www.seebtm.com/maldives-government-warns-the-world-with-an-underwater-cabinet-meeting/?lang=en

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1221021/Maldives-underwater-cabinet-meeting-held-highlight-impact-climate-change.html

http://gizmodo.com/5383960/maldives-government-meets-underwater-to-show-effects-of-global-warming

The other problems are, DAMAGE TO OZONE LAYER, due to high usage and leakage of refregirants, untimely and un-seasonal rains and damage, in some parts of the world, and severe drought, some times prolonged drought.

You have raised a VALID POINT, that is "how much energy/year each earth inhabitant is entitled to ? and how different people from different countries are living within or busting their entitlement?"

There was a statistics which I read some time back. It indicates that

a) 5 % of the world Population is responsible for 30% of the Green House Gases Emission - with VERY HIGH RATE per Person

b) 11% of the world Population is responsible for 42% of the Green House Gases Emission - with MODERATE HIGH RATE EMISSION per Person

c) 62% of the world Population is responsible for 15 % of the Green House Gases Emission - with LESS RATE EMISSION per Person

d) 22% of the world Population is responsible for BALANCE 13% of the Green House Gases Emission - with VERY LOW RATE EMISSION per Person

The above data shows that some UNDER PRIVILEGED and some are OVER PREVILEGED than what they need.

GREEN HOUSE EMISSION REDUCTION - we have to serious on this. But there were lot of discussions in many forum and nothing came out. Example - KYOTO PROTOCOL - this was dragging for a long time since few countries refused to sign the Protocol. Like this many issues are there.

Our fore fathers were living in healthy atmosphere. But to-day we see OXYGEN PARLOURS, high solid particulate matter in the air that we breath.

I have also read that when the CO2 Level reaches 800 PPM, no living matter including human being can survive on earth.

MAN KIND is the biggest enemy for our MOTHER EARTH, AT THIS RATE, survival WILL BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM. This was stated by eminent scientist during 1981.

Let us SEE what other details are put forth by other CR MEMBERS.

DHAYANANDHAN.S

Dear MR. DHAYANANDHAN.S,

Much thanks for your PM and your very informative post.

Bravo88