Overpopulation – Technology Solution
Posted on January 18, 2010
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By
Fred Westmark
Many futurists and modernists believe that technology can solve all of mankind’s problems. The panacea for humans, they believe, is in the hands of technology, the savior of mankind. But can technology overcome every human problem?
Technology has helped humans overcome many of its problems. Technology has improved human society in many ways: faster transportation, better food, greater access to information, and so on. These tools and machines made technology have vastly improved people’s lives. Today, a messenger doesn’t have to run twenty six miles to bring the news of the Greeks victory over the Persians (Marathon); he could send a message by cell phone in an instant.
Mankind can travel to the moon. Mankind can wash and dry clothes in an hour. Technology has been beneficial for us. Scientists try to push technology to its feasible limits. But what are the limits?
Has technology provided food for everyone? Has technology made humans smarted? Has technology prevented war? Has technology stopped hatred and bigotry? Has technology shown us how to love each other? Will technology control our breeding habits?
Humans act and feel the same as they did thousands of years ago. Machines have improved and changed, but we haven’t. We still hate getting up on Monday morning. We still need to eat every day. And we still breed and produce more human beings. Will technology be used in the future to stop people from breeding?
We are humans, not machines. We can’t improve by adding another widget. No one can simply push a lever and turn us off. Humanists would warn us that some technology is dangerous and could destroy us. Will human beings allow technology to tell us when and how to have children? The answer is an empathic ‘NO’!
We need to use technology wisely, but we need to control technology. It is only as means to an end, it is not the end. Humans need information and knowledge to answer overpopulation questions. Technology can help us. A machine won’t solve overpopulation on the earth, machines can only control and manipulate.
We, humans, have the capacity to respond to dangerous situations and we will respond to the overpopulation threat. We have no choice. We need commitment and determination from the entire planet.
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The Human Population, which has been on this planet for a relatively short period and our living standards have always been dependent on a short list of interlocking factors being available (per Capita), including -
1) Energy - available to be deployed and its cost.
2) Food (Quantity & Quality)- Available for consumption.
3) Basic Natural Resources - Available for consumption.
Also into the mix are the vagaries of human nature, including the 7 deadly sins & our capacity for Innovation.
That said, the history of Population Growth was relatively stable (with ups & downs), until a little over 100 years ago when Fossil Fuels (Oil), with the assistance of human Innovation Enabled a transformation of the Global Human society.
Due to the capacity of Fossil Fuels to deploy Energy & raise per capita productivity, as well as our Innovations, humanity has been able to explode the production of Food, acquire the other Natural Resources required, as well as manmade Resources, at such low costs as to Enable the Global Economy & Population to GROW EXPONENTIALLY for over 100 years.
Put into context, the planet is 4.5 Billion years old, we (humans) have been here for around 100-200,000 years & 150 years ago the first commercial Oil well started production. Also Our human population took until 1800AD to reach 1 Billion, the next Billion came around 1930 and we are now quickly approaching 7 Billion.
It is likely that we have already used more than half of all the Oil that will ever be able the be extracted from the Earth.
We are now at the point where a continuation of the past Exponential Growth rates in the Global Population & Economic Activity, for any length of time, would deplete Oil Reserves/Production to a point where the Fossil Fuel/Global GDP RATIO would spike beyond control and we would lose control!
So, whilst world peace & poverty are big problems, it is the future of Energy, as well as the Aging and the eventual Decline of the Global Population that will cause our greatest problems!!!