Global warming?

[stormy]

They, the geologists would say that we are in an ice age now and have been for 200,000 years. The normal condition for our planet is ice free everywhere, all those inland seas they show on the geologic maps are how our planet looks when all the water trapped in ice is water or water vapor. My understanding is that 99% of our planet's history is ice free. Ice ages are normal and have been going on for most of earth's history, what causes them is anyone's guess.

[david s]

True, but why accelerate the process by adding heaps more. Surely if you were speeding towards a cliff it would be prudent to put on the brakes. Got kids or grand kids?

[brickie in oz]

Its all the bread we are baking and the release of the carbon dioxide thats doing it.
Owwh and the bubbles from your beer......

[david s]

I think we are overpopulated and our present lifestyle is unsustainable. The worlds population grew by 30% from 6 billion to 7 billion between 1990 and 2010. That's a lot of bread and beer.

[Tscarborough]

That is 15% growth, but it is still too high. The cliff analogy is false, a better one would be speeding down a hill, then up a hill, then down another, and you have no brakes anyway.

I am a Malthusian, personally, mainly because it is inevitable.

[david s]

Originally Posted by Tscarborough

That is 15% growth, but it is still too high. The cliff analogy is false, a better one would be speeding down a hill, then up a hill, then down another, and you have no brakes anyway.

I am a Malthusian, personally, mainly because it is inevitable.

Sorry my figures were rough, but it is 30%

Rank Country Population (thousands)
2010 Population (thousands)
1990 Growth (%)
1990-2010
World 6,895,889 5,306,425 30.0%
1
Given that modern medicine has eradicated most of the nasties we're either going to be copped with one that it can't handle or continue to populate at an unsustainable rate

[Lburou]

Originally Posted by david s

I think we are overpopulated and our present lifestyle is unsustainable. The worlds population grew by 30% from 6 billion to 7 billion between 1990 and 2010. That's a lot of bread and beer.

X2....I believe this is the great issue of our time. Overpopulation is the elephant in the room no one will acknowledge. Even if we solve all our energy problems and stop our as yet unquantifiable contribution to climate change, we will not be able to continue to feed everybody soon.

[GianniFocaccia]

Well, as unpopular as it was, the Chinese one-child rule proved that someone was thinking about it, and it was effective, although it created another set of problems down the road.
I just hope that the Chinese manufacturing rollercoaster doesn't include flooding the world with cheap, cast refractory ovens.

[Lburou]

Originally Posted by GianniFocaccia

Well, as unpopular as it was, the Chinese one-child rule proved that someone was thinking about it, and it was effective, although it created another set of problems down the road.
I just hope that the Chinese manufacturing rollercoaster doesn't include flooding the world with cheap, cast refractory ovens.

I'm not thinking of China so much, (although I know that tens of millions of people died of starvation during Mao's rule), as the hunger and poverty of several third world countries like Chad and the Sudan.