ROCKMAN wrote:Charm – “…a sustainable earth carrying capacity?” When I see such phrases I notice the level of lifestyles is seldom mentioned. How do you view that factor? IOW given the poverty and health problems prevalent in the world today do you consider us at a “sustainable level” TODAY? If not, looking back when you say the world was last at a sustainable level?
IOW if you were a typical African living in poverty would you consider your life very sustainable? If yes the world has a long way to go before it reaches an “unsustainable level”, right?
Rock, I suppose it's about finding a balance between the level of lifestyle and the size of the carbon footprint which that lifestyle produces. The fact that there has ALWAYS been poverty, war, health problems etc. throughout history would lead me to believe that we are at a sustainable NUMBER today and we could perhaps increase that NUMBER. But I think the RATE at which our population is increasing, especially with all these new humans craving a western, modern middle-class lifestyle, is highly unsustainable.
A transition to a renewable energy infrastructure that could accommodate the current population and beyond would require a radical change in social consciousness, a massive curtailment of personal liberty/individual freedoms, wealth redistribution. I just feel like we're too far gone for that to happen, unless a massive die-off happens as a forced 'reset button' scenario.