by Roger Bourke White Jr., copyright May 2018
1. What effects have recent population growth caused in the city or area in which you live? What do you think will happen in your local area, to the country, and to the planet if population growth continues?
2. Why do most scientists support the conclusion that CO2 emissions are the primary cause of global climate change? If you think this conclusion is not correct, can you point to scientific evidence that supports your view?
3. What do you personally think individuals, large corporations, and world leaders should do to address the world's environmental problems?
4. What are some benefits of preserving biodiversity? Why do you think biodiversity is important for the overall health of the planet?
1. I live in Salt Lake valley. It is a booming place. The effect has been lots more people, structures, streets and air pollution, all the stuff that this chapter is worrying about.
That said, I don't think world population growth will continue. The reason being that humanity is becoming more urbanized and ever since cities were first invented they have been population sinks, not sources. In 2009 the world became fifty percent urbanized. Look at UN population charts and they show a peak in 2050. Look at the demographics of Japan today. The "population bomb" has been defused. The challenge of the 3000's is going to be sustaining a human population, not containing it.
2. They support it because it pays. Those scientists that support these alarmist statistics get more attention and more grants than those who support alternative theories and solutions. My evidence is: look at climate science fifty years ago when climate scientists were supporting the coming of the next Ice Age. The popular response... ho-hum. But add in the guilt trip of humanity being responsible for the calamity and lots more people pay attention and are willing to put up lots of social justice warrior bucks. Climate changes. Yes. But life has consistently adapted to those changes for a billion years now.
3. I have a saying "Efficiency is Green, effectiveness is even Greener." This is my answer. As we get more efficient in manufacturing our prosperity, and the human population stabilizes, the human impact on the climate will stabilize as well. If we need to do more, we now have the science and prosperity to do more. This is not an out of control issue.
4. Biodiversity is a form of redundancy. It is providing many answers to the question "How do you survive on earth?" This is good. It means that many solutions are available to the question, "Things have changed, what works well now?" My invention of a way of preserving biodiversity is creating what I call Neolithic Parks. It is a way of preserving Neolithic human cultures so that if some big civilization-breaking catastrophe occurs we have a backup. We still have humans who can live the "good old ways" and rebuild humanity from our Stone Age roots. It is an insurance policy and it can provide biodiversity insurance as well.
--The End--