What can we do about it?

[Michael.Chamberland]

> From:         Peter Rauch <peterr at VIOLET.BERKELEY.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: What can we do about it?
>
>
> So, redistribution of resources and/or lowering "our" consumption,
> per se, are not at all sufficient.

I think Paul Ehrlich said "If all the world's food resources were evenly
distributed to all the Earth's inhabitants, we'd all be undernourished."

>
> That leaves lowered population size, earthwide, as a necessary part of
> the solution to improve quality of human life and to sustain a healthy
> environment. With a much lesser population, the consumption of
> resources to maintain 'the good life' will be much less and the impact
> of that consumption on the environment will be tolerable/remediable.

I think there are only three ways to lower population size, earthwide:

1) decrease birth rate
2) increase death rate
3) migration


We don't have the technology for number 3 (come on, NASA!).  Number 1
sounds rather difficult...  but I don't at all like the sound of
number 2.  Plus, I think number 2 is the default solution if we don't
succeed with numbers 1 or 3 in the next century or sooner.

Michael Chamberland