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Author Topic: Stewards of the Earth  (Read 36316 times)

The Seldom Killer

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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #150 on: 06 Mar 2015, 01:46 »

It is about consumption, but it is also about the number of people. We can't expect the family of ten in India to continue at the same consumption level. It's not about having a big, all mod cons house and driving a couple of cars and all of the luxuries and comforts that the US couple have. It's about the background costs to those common essential services such as policing, healthcare, transport and clean water inrastructure etc.

Absolutely we in the developed countries need to reduce our consumption of resources, but equally the tradition of larger families in developing countries will have to be accepted as unsustainable if they are to continue with that development.
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Akima

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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #151 on: 06 Mar 2015, 02:56 »

Generally speaking, this is a "problem" that fixes itself. Rising prosperity and economic development tend to result in lower birth rates. This is why the One Child Policy in China was arguably unnecessary, as well as unarguably brutal and inhumane.

However, even if everyone in the world had the same birth-rate as the members of the OECD, there's no escaping the problem of numbers when it comes to sustainability. According to the World Bank development indicators published in 2008, 80% of the human population lives on less than US$10 per day. Just how low-resource a life-style will they and their 2.1 kids have to adopt to be sustainable? Never mind SUVs, or imagining everyone in India living the American dream; just providing everybody with bicycles and refrigerators would maintain a pretty massive demand for resources. I don't think anyone in the developed world is remotely ready to confront just how low a level of resource consumption would be involved in an equitable, sustainable world.

Arguably even the relatively low standard of living (by rich-country standards) enjoyed by the citizens of Mumbai or Shanghai is unsustainable. At purchasing-power-parity (PPP), the average global GDP per head in US$ is around $11,000 per year, or a little less that of Brazil and less than a quarter of that of the USA. Yet most of the human population lives in countries that are poorer:

Blue is above the Global Average PPP GDB. Orange is below.
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The Seldom Killer

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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #152 on: 21 Mar 2015, 09:26 »

I've just watched the documentary DamNation. I can't recommend it highly enough for any Americans interested in environmental matters
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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #153 on: 21 Mar 2015, 19:34 »

Is it on Netflix or youtube or something?
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The Seldom Killer

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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #154 on: 21 Mar 2015, 23:54 »

Not sure, I saw it as part of the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival.
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The Seldom Killer

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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #155 on: 21 Mar 2015, 23:56 »

The film's website says streaming on Netflix.

http://damnationfilm.com/
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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #156 on: 24 Mar 2015, 15:54 »

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/nestle-california-national-parks-bottled-water/

I wonder what's going to happen when Cali runs out of water. Anyway, just a reminder, please don't buy bottled water.
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Akima

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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #157 on: 09 Apr 2015, 15:53 »

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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #158 on: 09 Apr 2015, 17:31 »

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/nestle-california-national-parks-bottled-water/

I wonder what's going to happen when Cali runs out of water. Anyway, just a reminder, please don't buy bottled water.

Or almonds. Or almond milk.

It would also likely help if they stopped fracking, but I don't think Brown has the stones for that.
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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #159 on: 10 Apr 2015, 03:25 »

http://gizmodo.com/seriously-stop-demonizing-almonds-1696065939

Almonds aren't so terrible. Feel free to boycott Nestle though!
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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #160 on: 10 Apr 2015, 14:15 »

Eat Whittaker's!!
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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #161 on: 23 Jun 2015, 15:54 »



Also, the Pope has a Masters in Chemistry, but that's neither here nor there.

This is a bit old (few weeks), but still relevant, I think.
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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #162 on: 15 Feb 2016, 22:45 »

So, I had this question posted to me by my scientist friend (seeing as I have more experience on the environmental and energy side of things).

It basically came down to, "what would be your ideal energy system that is feasible?". The question is one that sounds simple, but gets more and more complex once you factor in everybody. Now, I'm not expecting an essay (like I gave him), but I'm hoping for some responses for how people think about energy in general, especially because it's not something many people (especially politicians) think about.
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Re: Stewards of the Earth
« Reply #163 on: 18 Feb 2016, 00:38 »

Energy has many forms so, I'm not sure what forms of energy that you are asking for opinion.
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