The 7th Billion Child

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:28 am

Somewhere out there in the world right now, a mother has just given birth to the seventh billionth child. Maybe we should light a candle and bake a cake for that baby ... but for some, it's spells just how wide the earth's population is expanding.

I ask the question, is this something we should be celebrating, or must we cringe at the thought that the world is far expanding for us to control?

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:00 am

We gonna need more pubs!!! Shocked

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:06 am

Should not be celebrated nor cringed at, simply addressed. It doesn't matter how many people we have, sustained equality is key.

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:15 am

There isn't enough food on this planet to equally feed everyone the way people in western society eat, much less the way Americans eat. Time to colonize space.

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:42 pm

a.steidl wrote:

There isn't enough food on this planet to equally feed everyone the way people in western society eat, much less the way Americans eat. Time to colonize space.

I agree, and I'm assuming the graph I posted doesn't take into consideration the disease and the famine that will result in the developing countrys population boom. Western country's with infinite resources should take in more immigrants. Like Australia, but we do have one limitation being water. Desalination is an option but it is expensive..... all comes down to the $ in the end ...

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:26 pm

It's the rate of the expansion of the population that worries me - during the 20th century the increase was phenomenal.

Is there enough room/resources on the planet for the estimated 10 Billion people by 2050 ?

Scary

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:37 pm

Another world war would cut the population down a bit ..

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:39 pm

thetazzzz wrote:

Another world war would cut it down a bit ..

I hope that never happens.

a.steidl wrote:

There isn't enough food on this planet to equally feed everyone the way people in western society eat, much less the way Americans eat. Time to colonize space.

We are too fragile to colonise space Smile

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:56 pm

I dont what another world war to happen ether mate..
Good to see about the forum Wink

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:13 pm

Thanks tazzzz - I been kinda busy with my own nonsense, tried to be here as often as I could, just not as vocal as I usually am Wink

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:36 pm

sidarial wrote:

a.steidl wrote:

There isn't enough food on this planet to equally feed everyone the way people in western society eat, much less the way Americans eat. Time to colonize space.

I agree, and I'm assuming the graph I posted doesn't take into consideration the disease and the famine that will result in the developing countrys population boom. Western country's with infinite resources should take in more immigrants. Like Australia, but we do have one limitation being water. Desalination is an option but it is expensive..... all comes down to the $ in the end ...

That is incorrect. There is ample food on this planet to go around. Equally the possibility of turning infertile land into thriving areas of vegetation. However this is not financially adequate for the corporate giants to permit, forcing food costs to certain demographics unreachable.

Sid's point in more countries accepting immigrants would be a big step towards alleviating the shortage, not sure how other western countries handle this topic but Australia's efforts are pathetic and disgrace to our nation.

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:48 pm

Contraception, what a concept !

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:13 pm

Foods not the issue -

There Are Now More Obese People than Hungry People

Quote:

In statistics used to underline the unequal access to food, the IFRC stressed there were 1.5 billion people suffering obesity worldwide last year, while 925 million were undernourished.

Ive never understood Africans and the likes, they is always starving yet they are always breeding, we cannot afford another kid so we won't have one. Myself I could not care if there is 300 zillion people in the world, 90% of them flock to cities like sheep so in essence my small country town hardly moves in terms of population.

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:29 am

Quote:

Ive never understood Africans and the likes, they is always starving yet they are always breeding, we cannot afford another kid so we won't have one.

The problem is mostly related to the fact that many MANY women are being violently raped in Africa, so called in the name of war, or just because the rapists don't get prosecuted at all and thus get away with it, or because they feel that the woman needed to "corrected" for some reason. Any given reason seems to be good enough for them.

Also the fact that African people still have alot of traditions doesn't make it better either. It's quite normal for African men to have alot of children. Most of them children are seen as a source of income, i.e. child labor, or they just sell them on the black market for a sack of rice. This is normal behavior for them.

The other problem is that condoms (or other contraceptives) are seen as something from the devil, something evil (there are quite a few Muslim regions in Africa). Or they just can't afford it, or can't find any. And if, I say IF, they get their hands on a few and DO want to use it, they have no idea HOW to use it in a proper way (no sir, it's not worn as a hat when it rains!) (No, Mam, you don't push a pill in "downtown", you swallow it!).

Quote:

Western country's with infinite resources should take in more immigrants

There is no such thing as infinite resources. And the more immigrants a country would take in, the faster these resources will be emptied. And the fact that a country should take in more immigrants... meh. I think that my tiny country already has enough immigrants. Belgium (2011) has a total population of almost 11 million, 21% (or was it 25%) of them are immigrants, 1 out of 5 come here to actually work, 4 out of 5 work for one day and then just sit on their ass and empty our financial resources (i.e. financial benefits they get each months after having officially worked for just only one day).

Just my honest opinion.

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:11 am

Our little oasis in Space can sustain many more people than we actually have. It is not improbable to consider the feeding of 15 billion without too many issues.
There is just one tiny little problem and it is called Greed
Food has become yet another factor in the world stock markets. A little rain here a little drought there and the food prices are adjusted. We plant something to earn money and not to sustain ourselves. We also have this insane idea that we cannot grow shit in the desert. Guy in Norway proposed more than 20 years ago a sustainable and free source of fresh water from the sea.
Many deserts stop at the sea but the idea was a series of pools where one farmed shrimp and prawns. The very process itself together with the waste from the delicious beasites would feed reeds and at the end of a rather simple but ten page post ( so I skip that bit ) the water is desalinated and drinkable. Can be used for irrigation and the prawns and shrimps can be eaten and sold.
Anyways its too good to be true so it has never happened.
Another issue is that huge tracts of land suitable for living and agriculture are owned by major energy companies and industries that require mega rape and pillage of mother earth for her minerals and other treats. I find it amazing that often huge holes big enough to dump entire towns in are dug and then just left. How about just filling the buggers with water?? could be sea water and then over time desalinate and grow trout. Good for sport fishers good for eating good for commerce and possibly good for the planet.

Problem is we are happier building mega structures of sulphur and other shit out n alaska trying to get our mits on a little extra oil.
Basically the planet is capable of a lot more if we can finally control greed.
All the time greed is humanities motivator then i can only concur that LSF comment about 10 billion is scary.