Author

Topic: 7 Billion people on Earth & the exponential function (Read 921 times)

newbie
Activity: 7
Merit: 0
soon as well, we will find that every inch of the land is habbit by thousand people, crap
legendary
Activity: 2772
Merit: 1514
If you look at any population graph, you can always see a plateau at the end of exponential growth for organisms in a population. I predict the same would happen to humans to be honest. It gets to a point where the planet can not support billions and billions of people. It'll level out eventually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

Article discusses it briefly.
newbie
Activity: 39
Merit: 0
sad truth is it is good that people die.

what do you think would happen if idiots can live forever or for a really long time (several lifespans of a normal human).

the most likely scenario is that the rich will get it first, then the smart and the rest won't.

very unrealistic that the society from today will just start to be altruistic.


You just described this movie:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637688/

Lol he did indeed, great movie by the way. We will find solutions for the overpopulation wich is not that worse as many people think, soon we will be on the moon drinking coffee
Vod
legendary
Activity: 3668
Merit: 3010
Licking my boob since 1970
sad truth is it is good that people die.

what do you think would happen if idiots can live forever or for a really long time (several lifespans of a normal human).

the most likely scenario is that the rich will get it first, then the smart and the rest won't.

very unrealistic that the society from today will just start to be altruistic.


You just described this movie:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637688/
legendary
Activity: 2464
Merit: 1145
sad truth is it is good that people die.

what do you think would happen if idiots can live forever or for a really long time (several lifespans of a normal human).

the most likely scenario is that the rich will get it first, then the smart and the rest won't.

very unrealistic that the society from today will just start to be altruistic.
sr. member
Activity: 756
Merit: 250
Infleum
As a matter of fact Earth could sustain twice the population we have now. The problem is in the borders, as some countries like Russia or Australia, are scarcely populated, while some like China are already overpopulated. If there were no borders and people would simply divide Earth by choosing the best places for farming, industry residential areas and so on we'd be fine.
legendary
Activity: 3766
Merit: 1368
Don't worry. We are on the verge of finding the cure for old age, so that people can live a lot longer... maybe never die.

Now, you are probably asking, How is that ever going to solve the overpopulation problem? Here's how.

Scientists, engineers and inventors die. New scientists, engineers and inventors come to take their place. The new guys (and gals) have to learn all the stuff over, and they never get to the point of expanding their thinking far enough to make tremendous strides in new science.

If scientists, engineers and inventors could live a lot longer, they would have the chance to mature their knowledge and thinking into methods for safely taking us to the stars. Would there ever come a time when we would out-populate the universe? Yes, and it would be in our lifetimes... if we lived forever.

Smiley

I understand your point. But there is merit to the idea that progress is only made when the older generations die. Younger generations are more inclined to accept new possibilities. And try out new things.



Except that, what will it be like when the older generation doesn't age? There are a lot of older generation motorcycle gang people. Younger folks don't seem to like the idea so much. Who is more daring? The only reason older folks do do as much skydiving is because they are not as springy, physically, and they know it.

The new things an ageless generation might try, might not be as daring, but they just might have more thought behind them because there has been more time to think.

In politics and business, mostly the older generation runs things. They simply aren't moving ahead as fast as they once were. If they had the energy of youth, combined with the wisdom and experience of what works, wouldn't they try new things more than the younger generation?

We don't know. The baby boomers have experience of massive wars. Does this slow them down? Or does it stimulate them to think harder? Questions.

Smiley
legendary
Activity: 1135
Merit: 1001


There are 7 Billion souls on Earth...at our current rate of population growth (1.4% /year) we could reach 14 Billion by the year 2065.


It took all these thousands of years for us to get to 7 Billion and in just 50 years it could double to 14 Billion, (Although many think external factors will stop this as the earth would not easily sustain so many)


Personally I think it would be a terrible idea to have that many people on the planet, and really at the moment people don't seem to care. Nonetheless people do need to start talking about it. We are led by politicians and leaders who tout the paradigm of infinite growth in a finite resource world. I watched this video and it outlined a function of mathematics I had known of obviously, but never really quite understood it to it's full potential.

If anyone is interested in educational material there is a video I found on youtube by Dr. Albert A. Bartlett from the University of Colorado

It's about Arithmetic, population and energy. ( I hope many of you have already seen it, but if you havn't it is highly educational )


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vII-GxsrR2c

Can't see it like that. Population growth doesn't increase indefinitely. See Japan. Or most of Western Europe. Or most developed countries. Tendency is growth declines as living conditions increase. And as education becomes more easily accessible. This poses problems as well ofc. As the need for resources increases as quality of life increases. But it isn't that straight forward. We will probably stay around 9 billion people at most. Assuming no one starts a major war before then.

Don't worry. We are on the verge of finding the cure for old age, so that people can live a lot longer... maybe never die.

Now, you are probably asking, How is that ever going to solve the overpopulation problem? Here's how.

Scientists, engineers and inventors die. New scientists, engineers and inventors come to take their place. The new guys (and gals) have to learn all the stuff over, and they never get to the point of expanding their thinking far enough to make tremendous strides in new science.

If scientists, engineers and inventors could live a lot longer, they would have the chance to mature their knowledge and thinking into methods for safely taking us to the stars. Would there ever come a time when we would out-populate the universe? Yes, and it would be in our lifetimes... if we lived forever.

Smiley

I understand your point. But there is merit to the idea that progress is only made when the older generations die. Younger generations are more inclined to accept new possibilities. And try out new things.

legendary
Activity: 1540
Merit: 1000
This is why only a moron would be against gay marriage.

Marry two males together and you're left with two females, if they're straight, that means only one thing, more for us straight guys Cheesy do the maths you pillocks!
legendary
Activity: 3766
Merit: 1368
Don't worry. We are on the verge of finding the cure for old age, so that people can live a lot longer... maybe never die.

Now, you are probably asking, How is that ever going to solve the overpopulation problem? Here's how.

Scientists, engineers and inventors die. New scientists, engineers and inventors come to take their place. The new guys (and gals) have to learn all the stuff over, and they never get to the point of expanding their thinking far enough to make tremendous strides in new science.

If scientists, engineers and inventors could live a lot longer, they would have the chance to mature their knowledge and thinking into methods for safely taking us to the stars. Would there ever come a time when we would out-populate the universe? Yes, and it would be in our lifetimes... if we lived forever.

Smiley
newbie
Activity: 42
Merit: 0


There are 7 Billion souls on Earth...at our current rate of population growth (1.4% /year) we could reach 14 Billion by the year 2065.


It took all these thousands of years for us to get to 7 Billion and in just 50 years it could double to 14 Billion, (Although many think external factors will stop this as the earth would not easily sustain so many)


Personally I think it would be a terrible idea to have that many people on the planet, and really at the moment people don't seem to care. Nonetheless people do need to start talking about it. We are led by politicians and leaders who tout the paradigm of infinite growth in a finite resource world. I watched this video and it outlined a function of mathematics I had known of obviously, but never really quite understood it to it's full potential.

If anyone is interested in educational material there is a video I found on youtube by Dr. Albert A. Bartlett from the University of Colorado

It's about Arithmetic, population and energy. ( I hope many of you have already seen it, but if you havn't it is highly educational )


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vII-GxsrR2c
Jump to: