Spider AL Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 According to this article on a report by the WWF, we have reached the point at which we are, as a race, consuming more of the world's natural resources than it can adequately replenish. Literally eating ourselves out of house and home. Old news to some, but alarming nonetheless. The question is: what should be done about it? Should we lower the excessive quality of life enjoyed by some nations? They wouldn't be happy about it... Should we stop population growth and indeed reduce it by sterilisation of individuals with two or more children? They wouldn't be happy about it... Should we simply invest squillions of pounds into researching more resource-efficient sources of energy, food, water etcetera?... Big business wouldn't be happy about it, and it'd take forever... Should we just wait until there isn't enough to go around, and we start dying off en masse naturally, sending us back to square one?.. The poor wouldn't be happy about it... It's apparent to me that there's no solution to the problem that would make a majority of people happy, at least in the short term. I think this is a genuine case of the short-sightedness of our populace leading to a long drop over a sheer cliff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipperthefrog Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I say we make efforts to colonise the moon and planet Mars real soon! We are near the development of space travel already! Solar Sails! The universe has LIMITLESS space and resources! we just got to get to them! We better hurry and get to those other planets! We are destined to live in a Star Wars like galaxy or our old earth will run out and we will die! I have high hope for the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 free condoms and encouraged use of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider AL Posted October 21, 2004 Author Share Posted October 21, 2004 I have high hope for the future!You've made me feel unusually upbeat Kipper, thank you. For space travel to be a viable solution, we would all have to get cracking on it right away. free condoms and encouraged use of them.Nice idea, but not working too well currently in places like Africa... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Originally posted by Spider AL Nice idea, but not working too well currently in places like Africa... true, but it doesn't help the catholics are telling people they go to hell for using condoms we could work on building a 1:2 scale replica of the deathstar, but you know... without the super laser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider AL Posted October 21, 2004 Author Share Posted October 21, 2004 true, but it doesn't help the catholics are telling people they go to hell for using condoms Yep... always wondered how anyone with any sense can subscribe to a religion in which the patron deity will consign your immortal soul to eternal hellfire and damnation... just because you slapped a bit of latex between the uglies of you and your missus. we could work on building a 1:2 scale replica of the deathstar, but you know... without the super laser.Yeah, we could... but... would that be space-flight related, or just for fun, or to while away the time until we all cop it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipperthefrog Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Originally posted by insanesith true, but it doesn't help the catholics are telling people they go to hell for using condoms Acually, the religios people beleive ADULTRY is a sin, not condoms! originally posted by spider al For space travel to be a viable solution, we would all have to get cracking on it right away. I read somewhere that we will make our first manned mission to mars between 2010 and 2020! sounds great! I also read its a bit cold there! I also heard that moondust will grow plants bigger and better! The only problem was that the moon had no air, so plants couldnt grow! If we gather moondust to grow food in it instead of regular soil imagine the produce! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipperthefrog Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 WAIT A MINNUTE! food won't be a problen cuase we can just keep growin it! mining resources like metal from the earth and plastic can be recylced! trees can be replanted! We can swith to hydrogen fuel and solar energy if the greedy oil comanies would qiut buying people off! just listen to the enviromentalists! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Originally posted by Spider AL Yeah, we could... but... would that be space-flight related, or just for fun, or to while away the time until we all cop it? D. All the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeiamyourdad Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Most of us will be already dead before this starts to REALLY hurt us. There's no sure solution except a mass genocide of the human race No seriously, we should reduce ressource consumtion and especially pollution. Make more energy efficient cars, screw the big oil companies, stop de deforestation of the Amazon Jungle, stop the mass deforesting of forests period, start recycling more, go to mars, go to the moon,etc. There are possibilities to slow down the process, buy some time, but in the end, the planet is doomed. The Catholics condemn the use of ANY contraceptive. It's somewhat anti-procreation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider AL Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 There are possibilities to slow down the process, buy some time, but in the end, the planet is doomed.Hrm, natural degradation of our planet's integrity is one thing, but us being responsible for strip-mining the thing into oblivion is quite another. It would take such a large effort to return the planet to equilibrium that I can't see it happening, ever. Kipper seems optimistic though, I guess optimism is always a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeiamyourdad Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Originally posted by Spider AL It would take such a large effort to return the planet to equilibrium that I can't see it happening, ever. That's exactly what I meant. Philosopher, ecologist and astronomer Hubert Reeves says the planet has less then 10 years to live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jed Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 War. ... What? Wars are a sure fire way to kill off a few million or so of the world population. Hell, you could probably get more than that in this day and age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeiamyourdad Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Yes but war is very ressource consuming so in the end, you gained very little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CagedCrado Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 End all of the liberals. Mine all of the resources out of the earth, live like the romans. Eat drink and be merry all around. Then take a drug to make you throw up. Eat drink and be merry. Rinse and repeat and dont give a damn, since everything runs out someday including life we might as well exploit this planets resources. After all, we own this planet, and if you claim we have responsibility to animals since when did they do something for us? You preach darwinism but dont believe in survival of the fittest. Youre afraid of global warming yet global warming and global cooling have always happened since the beginning of time. Oh yes, and the government deserves 90% of all of your money because you dont know how to spend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Druid Bremen Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Originally posted by CagedCrado End all of the liberals. Mine all of the resources out of the earth, live like the romans. Eat drink and be merry all around. Then take a drug to make you throw up. Eat drink and be merry. Rinse and repeat and dont give a damn, since everything runs out someday including life we might as well exploit this planets resources. After all, we own this planet, and if you claim we have responsibility to animals since when did they do something for us? You preach darwinism but dont believe in survival of the fittest. Youre afraid of global warming yet global warming and global cooling have always happened since the beginning of time. Oh yes, and the government deserves 90% of all of your money because you dont know how to spend it. Everything runs out someday? Yes. You want it to happen very quickly? I suppose not. We own this planet? Then why can't we stop global warming, since we're the "masters" of the planet? No, we aren't the "masters". Nature is. Responsibility to animals? Have you ever thought that humans are animals too? Global warming has happened since planets formed, true. But it has NEVER been moving at the rate it is now, ever since us, the inconsiderate humans, created all our technology and started digging a grave that gets deeper as time goes on, which we'll topple into. We are wasting all our resources. People say, "Oh, it can't happen in my generation!" I say, "Yes it can, because coal is running out. It will be completely gone before even half a century has gone by. Slowly, we are draining all our resources, and even though we know very well what is happening, we don't stop it. Strangely like an addiction.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CagedCrado Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 There is no proof this is the fastest in all of history by any means. Also when you say that humans are animals that may be true, but that also classifies you as a darwinist which believes survival of the fittest. When the other animals build vast cities similar to ours, build technology to destroy the world and harvest all of the resources, then ill accept that we dont own them. Secondly nature is a part of the planet that we own, its just a negative side effect of owning it. One that we will eventually surpass. It isnt the governments place to stop companies from exploiting the earth that they own anyway. If you own the mineral rights, all of the resources beneath the ground there are YOURS. It is real great you want to save the world and all, but to destroy our society in order to do it is entirely unrealistic. Believe it or not, we have ran out of resources in the past and it never ruined us. We just found better ways of getting it every time. Whether it be in space or on earth it wont matter, technology will over come a resource deficit simply due to supply and demand. If a valuable resource runs out and it is profitable to mine mars or the moon, i garauntee it will be done. So to say we are running out of resources is like saying the ocean is out of water. (dont get started on water pollution, because there are just as many reasons it doesnt matter.) Also if pollution is decreasing our life spans, then why is it that the countries that produce the most pollution have the longest life spans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider AL Posted October 24, 2004 Author Share Posted October 24, 2004 After all, we own this planet, and if you claim we have responsibility to animals since when did they do something for us?As strange as it may sound, I fully respect this point of view. It's amoral, but whether or not we abide by moral principles is a choice we can make because of our superior intellect. It is our choice, and we have a right to choose either. I've chosen to follow the path of morality. Thus, I seek to limit the suffering of my fellow creatures, increase their comfort where possible, do what is fair and just, etcetera etcetera. If you feel no moral obligation to care for the other species on this planet, that's fine. That's your call. But it's not a moral judgement, it's a lack of morality. It's amoral. The way I see it, it's not our minds that separates us from the other animals on this planet... All animals are able to use what intelligence they possess to further the aims of their species, just as we do. It's not even our opposable thumbs, kewl though they are. It's our capacity for morality that separates us, that makes us special. I want to be special, heck, I want to be exceptional. Don't we all? That's why we learn, and compete, and grow. Without morality, I feel that I would just be another dumb animal. Unfortunately, as a moral being it's my duty to stop amoral beings from doing amoral things. So watch your back, babe. Also if pollution is decreasing our life spans, then why is it that the countries that produce the most pollution have the longest life spans?Because the most industrial societies tend to have superior medical care, and a generally richer quality of life. If you live in a shanty-town in Africa, you won't be producing much pollution... but you won't live through even the most basic of illnesses either. Sad, innit. It isnt the governments place to stop companies from exploiting the earth that they own anyway. If you own the mineral rights, all of the resources beneath the ground there are YOURS.People own pets, too. That doesn't give them the right to torture them. People who own things can do what they like with them, within REASON. It is real great you want to save the world and all, but to destroy our society in order to do it is entirely unrealistic. Society's flexible. If you believe society can survive cataclysmic climate change and depletion of resources, surely you must believe that society can survive our little bit of "saving the world"? Believe it or not, we have ran out of resources in the past and it never ruined us. We just found better ways of getting it every time. Whether it be in space or on earth it wont matter, technology will over come a resource deficit simply due to supply and demand.When exactly have we "run out of resources" in the past? We always had wood, for instance. Besides, your attitude is unrealistic. Animals go extinct, plant life goes extinct. If sufficient numbers of both go extinct, our ecosystem will be truly f***xored, and we will not be able to sustain ourselves. We can NOT live outside the ecosystem as a society yet, we are simply not that evolved. We're remote from it, yes, but we obtain raw materials and sustenance from it still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipperthefrog Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Spider al is right! we better take care of earth or find some way to move to other planets or we die! We eat when we're not hungry! We drink when we're not thirsty! We buy what we dont need! We throw away what is usefull! We just sit around on couches eatink junk acting like we got two stomachs and money to burn! that's WRONG! We need to recycle! people are just LAZY and WASTEFULL! GOODWILL STORIES I worked at Goodwill once! you wouldn't beleive the amount of stuff that got dumped by our drop boxes! most of it we throw away becuase it won't all fit in our store! if things don't get sold before a certain amount of time, we pull it off the shelves to throw it away to make room for new donated stuff in our store! our two large dumpsters got full every day! i have seen all kinds of perfectly good stuff get tosed! people in third world countries could have used it! one ship could take lots of stuff!...but there is no PROFIT in bringing old goods to third world countries, so our government just burys it! once the whole area of drop boxes and part of the parking lot got covered in old clothes! it got frozen in snow and ice over night! we ended up having to take big blue roll carts and make multiple trips between the dumpsters and drop boxes to throw it all away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CagedCrado Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 We have ran out of resources in the past due to the fact we couldnt get to them or extract them. People own pets, too. That doesn't give them the right to torture them. People who own things can do what they like with them, within REASON. Actually you can have your pet put to death if you so wish, as long as it is supposedly humane. What do you call putting to 'sleep'? Also the government has no right to tell you what to do with something you own, i clearly stated that was my stance in the last post. Society's flexible. If you believe society can survive cataclysmic climate change and depletion of resources, surely you must believe that society can survive our little bit of "saving the world"? Society would survive through either, but the point that harvesting resources would bring about climate change is foolish, considering the fact that the supply as it is currently has not totally outstripped everything, and by the time it does we will easily be able to harvest the moon as we have the technology now. We have hydroponic farms also, it doesnt matter what the climate is like for those and through cloaning we would have an endless supply of meat by this time also if we so wished. The simple fact is greed will drive companies to make money exploiting resources by any means possible, and as the earth runs out of resources they will just find another way. Same reasons brought about the plow, crop rotation, irrigation, animal domestication, iron, copper, steel, etc. All of this was direct result of resource shortages. My attitude is possibly unrealistic, but it is simply an ideal. Somewhere in the middle would be better. Your idea is also completly unrealistic if mine is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Originally posted by CagedCrado Also the government has no right to tell you what to do with something you own. If we followed that, slavery would still be legal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CagedCrado Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Slavery is an entirely seperate issue, as you can not own another human being even if it is on paper. To compare an animal or a piece of land to a human being is foolish. (yes people are animals technically but we are far superior to all others, thus the term animal is used to express them and not us. Since most normal human beings reguard themselves as humans and not as animals, the term animal is hereby always referring to non human animals and the term human refers to all human animals.) Although the socialism/communism that liberals support hasnt had any trouble enslaving billions of people world wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Originally posted by CagedCrado Slavery is an entirely seperate issue, as you can not own another human being even if it is on paper. but back then blacks and other non-whites were considered lower life-forms and ownable. The government stepped in and did tell "you"* what to do with your* own "property", so you can't have it both ways. *= refering to the general use of you, not the directional use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CagedCrado Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 To me there arent races, it is wrong to claim to be better than any human being for such reasons. Slavery is wrong and nothing i said would make it to be right. Plain and simply you cant own a person, thus they cant be property and that means that what you said does not even apply. Also, if you have to twist peoples words to make a point, your point is not valid at all. I never said and never would say slavery is correct. That is why i made absolute distinction between man and animal and our resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider AL Posted October 24, 2004 Author Share Posted October 24, 2004 Actually you can have your pet put to death if you so wish, as long as it is supposedly humane. What do you call putting to 'sleep'? A painless method of euthanasia, that totally supports my point. What do you call it? Slavery is an entirely seperate issue, as you can not own another human being even if it is on paper. Only because the government says so. If the government told you you couldn't own any animals anymore, would you abide by that too? We have ran out of resources in the past due to the fact we couldnt get to them or extract them. Not as a race, my little friend. Society would survive through either, but the point that harvesting resources would bring about climate change is foolish, considering the fact that the supply as it is currently has not totally outstripped everything, and by the time it does we will easily be able to harvest the moon as we have the technology now. We're takin' this baby TO DA MOOOON!!111 And what exactly will we be able to harvest "from the moon" my friend? How will we build a spacecraft big enough to bring all these wonderful moon-fuels that we're unable to process and don't exist anyway back to earth, when a tiny spacecraft that holds several people costs untold millions to make? You're living in a trollish dreamworld, and long may you enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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