Calvin & Hobbes on environmental abuse

[Rand]

               

                       

                                       

               

[jamesrobertsmith]

What's sad about this is that the human race is headed for extinction pedal-to-the-metal. And few of us realize that we're doing it. Fuck us all for the fools we are.

[edfrank]

What's sad about this is that the human race is headed for extinction pedal-to-the-metal. And few of us realize that we're doing it. Fuck us all for the fools we are.

well, more people should pay attention to "radical" politicians like Bernie Sanders of Vermont- watch the video of the interview by Bill Moyers: http://billmoyers.com/segment/bernie-sa ... -politics/

the interview isn't much about the environment, but about fixing the broken politics of America, as it's now dominated by the ultra rich- Sanders says we're moving to an oligarchy and such folks don't care much for the environment

Joe

[Rand]

Sanders says we're moving to an oligarchy and such folks don't care much for the environment

Joe

I don't think they care about much beyond their money & power (They become rather synonymous at that level...)  It's kinda sad what we as a democratic society have let happen.

<Sad sigh>

Hey, are the fall TV premiers on yet? <clicky-clicky-clicky...>

[PAwildernessadvocate]

What's sad about this is that the human race is headed for extinction pedal-to-the-metal. And few of us realize that we're doing it. Fuck us all for the fools we are.

In my measured opinion Homo sapiens are not necessarily racing toward extinction, but rather racing toward a pronounced "bottleneck" event. There will be survivors, but most of the survivors are likely to be among the world's most affluent in my opinion. Some with survivalist skills may emerge on the other side of the bottleneck event as well.

[Joe]

What's sad about this is that the human race is headed for extinction pedal-to-the-metal. And few of us realize that we're doing it. Fuck us all for the fools we are.

In my measured opinion Homo sapiens are not necessarily racing toward extinction, but rather racing toward a pronounced "bottleneck" event. There will be survivors, but most of the survivors are likely to be among the world's most affluent in my opinion. Some with survivalist skills may emerge on the other side of the bottleneck event as well.

or maybe billions of people will continue to populate the globe but a very low standard of living- as the Republican "vision" of the trickle up theory spreads around the globe...

Joe

[PAwildernessadvocate]

or maybe billions of people will continue to populate the globe but a very low standard of living

No doubt we will muddle along like that for some time to come, but eventually, inevitably, the fossil fuels will for all intents and purposes be exhausted. This is the way I tend to look at it: for all of human history we have stayed below one billion people with slow population growth. Since only about 1800 we have added about six billion additional humans at an ever accelerating rate. That population explosion has largely come courtesy of the use of finite fossil fuel resources like petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Therefore, it is axiomatic that when you take those fossil fuels away, you will also take the bloated human population away. In my opinion it is unavoidable in the end.

[Joe]

what we need to figure out is- what is the carrying capacity of this planet for naked apes- such that biodiversity will not be reduced, and that the climate will stabilize (at least on a short time scale)

Joe

[PAwildernessadvocate]

...what is the carrying capacity of this planet for naked apes- such that biodiversity will not be reduced, and that the climate will stabilize...

My rough guess is a population of no more than half a billion people worldwide for an extended period of time in order to achieve those things you've listed.