Two Earths would be needed to sustain human activity by 2030, report finds

nydailynews.com ^

[Sub-Driver]

wo Earths would be needed to sustain human activity by 2030, report finds Report shows animal species fell 30%, wealthy countries do the most damage By Meghan Neal / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 9:40 PM Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 6:49 AM

Planet Earth in a tight spot.

Mankind is draining the earth's resources so quickly the globe would be bled dry before the end of the century at this rate, a new report shows.

Humans are living outside their means, depleting natural resources like forests, air and water 50% faster than the planet can renew, according to the 2012 World Wildlife Fund's "Living Planet Report" released this month.

If the trends aren't reversed, by 2030 we’d need more than two Planet Earths to sustain human activity, according to the study.

“If we just do business as usual…we’re just going to continue moving in this direction. At some point, the earth’s going to just give out. We don’t know when. But that’s a pretty scary thing to think about,” said Colby Loucks, director of conservation science at WWF. “The question is, we don’t know what the tipping point is.”

According to research by the WWF the demand on the planet’s natural resources has doubled over the last 50 years, with most of the burden falling on poorer nations.

Wealthy countries can have up to five times the "ecological footprint" as low-income countries, because consumption is much higher.

[ctdonath2]

Your “fair share” of the planet’s land mass, rank wilderness included, is about 5 acres. Get it while the gettin’s good.

[LouAvul]

This is the same kind of crap I used to read in the 70’s.

Definitely. We were supposed to have been in another ice age by now.

And, I'm still waiting for the end of life as we know it from the Gulf (of Mexico) oil spill.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Naw, they get their new paradise. Just like in the Star Trek (TOS), The Way to Eden. The key to the deal is in the details of the split. We agree to do the work up front, getting them off this Earth. They agree to do all the fancy out year stuff, to get from “off Earth” to wherever they want to go. And let nature run its course. Our part will work and shouldn’t be too hard. Many of them are already out of this world.

[ctdonath2]

Well, Leftists are the leading instigators of it. Radical population reduction always is one of their first agenda items.

[SamuraiScot]

And if you went with Manhattan density levels, everyone on earth would fit into a 290 x 290 mile square (including parks and working structures), about the area of Utah.

Oh, man. Can you imagine finding a parking space?

[TomGuy]

When the WWF and similar grant-supported organizations get China, Daubi, Saudi Arabia, etc., to sign on and support to their plans and convert to ‘green’, I might start believing.

Until then, this is just another scare tactic with the underlying intent of getting grant money from governmental entities. These organizations are very effective at the Jesse Jackson type shakedowns of Western governments — to get grant money.

[certrtwngnut]

What does the WWF(World Wrestling Federation)know about sustaining life?

[Falcon4.0]

Can I be your Pilot?

[albie]

Texas: With 268,820 square miles of area and 640 acres per square mile the actual acerage is 172,044,800 acres. Every person in the US could indeed have a half acre to himself.

[GonzoGOP]

New York City has a population density of 27,243.06/sq mi. Texas has an area of Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles. So given the same population density as New York City, which compared to other mega cities around the world isn't terribly crowded, Texas City could support a population of 7,323,479,389.

Current world population is estimated at 7.014 billion. If existing trends, decline in industrial countries balanced against rise in agrarian countries, are maintained it is estimated that population will peak around 2080 with just over nine billion. So we will probably need to expand into Oklahoma as well.

[JimRed]

UN Agenda 21 will take care of that- by reducing the human population by about 85% over 20 years.

[Poison Pill]

In 1970 Hal Lindsey said in "The Late, Great Planet Earth" that the world would end in the '80s.

The template is always the same. Put Doomsday out about 15 years. It's close enough to cause worry now (and make some money), but far enough away that when it doesn't happen folks won't remember.

[TomGuy]

unless the middle class birth-controlled itself out of existence, the earth was doomed.

In the 60s and 70s, the effort was toward Population Zero -- in Western societies.

Well, Western societies have basically attained that. However, 3rd world and Islamic cultures have continued to proliferate and increase their numbers.

Notice how the do-gooder Lefties always point 'guilt' toward the Western societies, but seldom toward non-Western societies.

Guess which societies are the most generous in providing grants, etc.

[bandleader]

I am willing to contribute whatever I have to send the “Reporters”at The New York Slimes to whatever planet they care to venture to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JimRed]

Humans do more harm than animals but far, FAR more good.

What about that theory that dinosaur farts put so much methane into the atmosphere that the Earth warmed by as much as 10 degrees celsius? < /stupid comparison >

[Vanders9]

I remember reading that in the seventies. That guy really screwed my life up. It took me years to recover.

[no-to-illegals]

This reminds me of the john edward's talking point ... two Americas ... then there has to be two earths.

[ILS21R]

Deal. But be careful of the robot. I still don’t have all his bugs worked out.

[JimRed]

We’re all gonna die.

Yes, we are. Just a matter of when and how.

"It is appointed unto man once to die, then the judgement". Hebrews 9:27

[ctdonath2]

Dividing current farmland by population and rounding the result up a bit, each person gets a plot 47x47m: 603 sq ft for living and the rest for farmland. Assuming half the land is rank (unusable) wilderness, that roughs out to an optimistic world carrying capacity of 33000M people.

But that’s not taking into account high-efficiency farming or compact housing, nor a population’s tendency to self-limit (1st World populations are suffering plummeting replacement rates).