At the end of World War II, global population was roughly 2.4 billion people. From then until today, that number has tripled to 7.3 billion and increase to almost 9 billion in 20 years. Thanks to technology there are no longer enough jobs to go around other than low-level “service” jobs and now even those are being replaced by computers. What used to be an almost pristine filled with a host of species is now polluted with many of those species extinct or endangered.
When he first started diving, Jacque Cousteau found oceans that were almost pristine with vast areas filled with creatures. By the time of his death, he testified that there was nowhere completely untouched by man. The Cousteau Society fights against marine pollution and the devastation of species due to the demand by human beings for food.
Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.
Politically we have a return to barons and serfs. That point of when humans were greater than the local levels of resources that could not support the number had been reached. This condition was only alleviated by a global pandemic that led to development of a middle class. Thanks to wide open areas where human beings could expand, a certain balance was maintained between haves and have-nots. Following the Civil War, the westward expansion in US proceeded (at the expense of the indigenous populations). There was always room and resources over the next hill.
Following WW II, the majority of the world had devastated populations while much of the Americas remained untouched. This allowed for the creation of wealth at the expense of other nations and populations. Now those countries are demanding clean air and water and a share of the profits. Unfortunately global corporations need a Ponzi scheme of human beings to keep the sales climbing without consideration of what we are doing to future generations.
Now we have run out of room. The planet is reaching its limit to house human beings with the resources they need for survival. As wars, rumors of war, terrorism, and demands for a share of safety & wealth increase, the danger from over population becomes even greater. The rate of growth in population may have slowed but so far the realization that we need to go backwards hasn’t sunk in.
17 responses to “Too Much of a Bad Thing”
An excellent post. The rarified air of the 1% may be close to that the rest of us in the Western world breathe (when they haven’t jetted off to some place more pristine due to less human traffic), but it’s not what they are experiencing in our factory cities in China and India.
We wouldn’t have relatively clean air if corporations hadn’t been legislated into behaving in a more responsible way.
Remember how dirty the air was in the late 70s?
Nature will overcome, if she has to take out every, last one of us. We asked for it.
Feel free to visit any time Blue. I plan to write more often about all the subjects that fascinate me and would love the company.
Hey Jamie
Great post!
“Dear Caitlyn Jenner, Please Reconsider Your Support of Ted Cruz”
jay Michaelson
“As you probably expected, most the LGBT community cannot understand how you could support Ted Cruz, a fundamentalist Christian whose opposition to LGBT equality is at the center of his platform.
To this you have responded, on I am Cait, “None of the Republicans are ‘I hate trans people’ or ‘I hate gays.’ They do nothing of that. I want a driving economy so every trans person has a job.” And “if our country collapses it doesn’t make any difference if you’re gay, trans, whatever.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/08/dear-caitlyn-jenner-please-reconsider-your-support-of-ted-cruz.html
“Gun Advocate Shot by 4-Year-Old Son”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/03/09/report-sony-music-to-drop-dr-luke.html
“27 giant profitable companies paid no taxes”
“Death and taxes are supposed to be two certainties of life. But a few companies have at least escaped the taxes part.
There are 27 companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500, including telecom firm Level 3 Communications (LVLT), airline United Continental (UAL) and automaker General Motors (GM), that reported paying no income tax expense in 2015 despite reporting pre-tax profits, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2016/03/07/27-giant-profitable-companies-paid-no-taxes/81399094/?AID=10709313&PID=6146920&SID=ilk2ilfrm7002agb00dth
“Rubio Says He’s ‘Not Entirely Proud’ of Personal Attacks Against Trump”
Alexandria Jaffe
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/rubio-says-he-s-not-entirely-proud-personal-attacks-against-n535236
“Why LGBT People Are Moving to Red States”
Samantha Allen
“But those cities and other metropolitan areas in blue states fell in the overall ConsumerAffairs ranking despite these increases, which suggests that many LGBT people are choosing to live in affordable cities instead. In other words, you’ll still find plenty of gay people in New York but more young gay people are making the trek to Utah instead. And that makes sense: New York City scores a full 100 on the Consumer Price Index and Salt Lake City lands below 70.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/09/why-lgbt-people-are-moving-to-red-states.html
“Carly Fiorina Endorses Ted Cruz: I Am ‘Horrified’ By Donald Trump
She made a surprise appearance at his rally in Miami.”
Amanda Terkel
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carly-fiorina-ted-cruz_us_56e043d4e4b065e2e3d44565
“Oh my, Carly and Cruz, a match made in hell.. Carly, “so yesterday”
“Florida’s war on women: State passes massive anti-choice bill to shut down access to abortion and contraception
Florida just passed a major bill that would shut down abortion clinics and take away birth control”
Amanda Marcotte
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/09/floridas_war_on_women_state_passes_massive_anti_choice_bill_to_shut_down_access_to_abortion_and_contraception/
This Governor down here is the biggest crook. Taking women’s access away.. Whats wrong with the people of Florida?? I know, i live here in the land of the fruits and nuts..
great post jamie, it was rathering sobering so poured a glass of wine to shed the chill 😉
tony- the cait thing was just too weird. that’s the effect of being an insulated 1 percenter.
Kathleen,
You bet the 1%, she’s on my last nerve that’s for sure.. The woman lives in a bubble…
Why Bernie’s on shaky ground: White men are leading him to victory as he remains a tough sell with other voters
Sanders surprising victory in Michigan still sticks to the same pattern: He’s winning white men as others stay away
“Amanda Marcotte’
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/09/why_bernies_on_shaky_ground_white_men_are_leading_him_to_victory_as_he_remains_a_tough_sell_with_other_voters/
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In my opinion, the only thing that will make us go backwards will be a confluence of natural disasters and pandemics and wars that double decimate the world population down to near extinction across 90% of species. Then the earth will take her silly sweet time to build herself back to a level where new species can eventually evolve to do it all over again. Until the sun runs out of fissionable atoms and explodes.
Hi Travis
Nice to see you..
Well we have done that about six times in the history of human beings. I really don’t want to think what a massive pandemic in a developed world would be like.
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