Up to Speed 2

 

 

 

A paradox; why are scientists bent on increasing the population?

With mankind already draining the Earth’s resources, we are hell bent on forever inventing new ways of producing edible matter with genetic engineering like In-vitro food which placates animal right fanatics and ‘greenies’ and genetically modified crops to make money for big business, but just what is the purpose, where will it all end?

Do they, like Britain, go along with the philosophy that more is better, more immigrants equates to more labour, more money for business, more manufacturing etc?

Does not anybody realise that even if you can grow a ton of wheat on a square metre of land or grow meat in a lab it has consequences and finding ways to feed an ever increasing population is not a good idea, all it will do is increase a problem we are turning our heads away from?

Population growth needs more of our natural resources than just food and it is a problem we must face sooner or later. An ever increasing population will produce more Co2, drain ever receding resources and stifle humanities’ way of life and space.

Now scientists are advocating and extolling the virtues of in-vitro food (Soylent Green) using the help of any fringe movement to promote it and even when finally the human race is so overcrowded that we are standing shoulder to shoulder, what will we be doing?...finding ways to feed people!   

Fundamentally, we need to ask, what is the greater threat to human welfare; the possibility that human efforts to address population growth might be abused; or our on-going failure to act to prevent hundreds of millions, even billions, dying as a result of global ecological collapse; which is no farfetched possibility?

 Environmental scientists insist we have overshot the Earth's carrying capacity of three billion and by any definition of logic, if the carrying capacity of the population is 3 billion then 7 billion and rising very fast, the proof is everywhere.

The inability, to live at our current numbers, without causing environmental degradation, is the very definition of carrying capacity overshoot and as we have learned from other species, this manifests itself initially with a crash, for humanity, this portends a potential cataclysm exceeding anything in our history.

The planet is struggling to cope with human demands being placed upon it, urbanisation is a major source of greenhouse gases when an indirect effect on productivity is considered, but we find that when countries urbanise, the labour supply is more productive, meaning that it contributes more to the growth of GDP. People are working in sectors that contribute more to economic growth, which increases energy demand, which increases emissions.

The Earth is already being stretched far beyond its carrying capacity; however a lower population growth alone would not be enough to prevent dangerous climate change. We need a combination of even lower population growth, reduced per capita consumption and better use of technology.

The reason for climate change denial...

 

The fact that people around the world have engaged in so little response to climate change is that they believe that everything is fine. Although we all know the facts most do not think climate change is happening; believe that their governments will take care of things; or that international agreements on emissions reductions will be effective. This perspective could be a variation of; climate change scepticism, blind faith in government or blind faith in our ability to produce a technological cure.

 

Now you can talk of the psychological reasons for this until the cows come home or save yourself time by equating it all to the same thought process (or denial) of our ultimate demise at the end of our personal life span. In truth it is a sense of knowing and not knowing, of having information but not thinking about it.

 

Ask yourself; how often do you think of death? Ask yourself; do you live your life as a consequence of this, are you keeping yourself in optimal health, do not drink, smoke, eat too much? Well, do not bother to answer because like you, we all feel guilty but we all still have our ‘bad’ habits and to hell with a few more weeks months years of prolonged life. Now take that a stage further (attitude to Climate change) and you have the answer!

 

If you want to know about the brave new world of geo-engineering or blind faith then read ‘In Denial’ by Cuger Brant.

The Kyoto Accord, the Copenhagen Accord, the Durban Accord are meaningless, as will the ‘Paris 2015’ accord. They are and always will be an accord to 'Agree to disagree' as wealth, business and the immediate economy dictates how we act on carbon emissions. Economic growth is the prime and immediate concern of all governments.

 

The weather forecast

 

 “The ultimate objective of the UNFCCC as stated in Article 2 is to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”, IPPC Durban 2011.

“Dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system will cease when most of mankind does” Cuger Brant, London 2013.

 

• There will be substantial warming in temperature extremes.

• It is virtually certain that increases in the frequency and magnitude of warm daily temperature extremes and decreases in cold extremes will occur on the global scale.

• The length, frequency and/or intensity of warm spells, or heat waves, will increase over most land areas.

•  A 1-in-20 year hottest day will become a 1-in-2 year event.

• The 1-in-20 year extreme daily maximum temperature will likely increase by about 1°C to 3°C by mid-21st century and by about 2°C to 5°C by late-21st century.

• The frequency of heavy precipitation or the proportion of total rainfall from heavy falls is increasing radically.

•  Heavy rainfalls associated with tropical cyclones are increasing and droughts will intensify.

•  Changes in heat waves, glacial retreat and/or permafrost degradation will affect high mountain phenomena such as slope instabilities, movements of mass and glacial lake outburst floods.

• By 2020, yields from rain-fed agriculture will be reduced by up to 50%. Agricultural production, including access to food, in many countries will be severely compromised.

• Before 2050, sea level rise will seriously affect low-lying coastal areas with large populations.

 

Those responsible for decisions in the field of climate change at the global level are too interested in their master’s orders and they, are too interested in their respective economies, political positions, shareholders and self. In reality there is no one interested enough (including you) to take any real step to stop, what is becoming increasingly inevitable. Cuger Brant