Free At Last

I recently read your book, "The Post American World." In that book as with this article, your arguments assume that growth is always and can only be a good thing. Paul Erlich and other scientists would take issue with your arguments on population growth and sustainability. Yeah--let's do recycle--carpets, cars, Caterpillar earth movers, everything. But no matter how efficient we become at recycling, we can't sustain the growth models you write about in your book or in this article.
Mark Prudowsky

Reading your article, I'm thinking similar thoughts that I had when I read your book, "The Post American World." You make assumptions and then, based on those assumptions, point a rosy, 'no problem' picture of the world. I don't think the present population of the globe is sustainable. More importantly, Erlich and other scientists don't feel that's the case either. Yeah, we should recycle more, carpets, cars, Caterpillar earth moving equipment--everything. But even if we do, we can't sustain the present numbers. Your starting point: growth is always and only a good thing, is where we part company.

You stated that, "A large part of the American defense budget goes toward protecting our oil supplies." Perhaps it is time we place a tax on imported oil that reflects the true cost of procurement - not only what oil costs to buy, but also what it costs militarily to keep the supply pipeline open. In 1980, after gas had "soared" from about $0.32/gallon up to about $0.50/gallon, I read an analysis that argued that gas should actually cost about $1.00/gallon if military expenses were included. The tax could be used either to directly offset the military expenses, or be used to build transit systems, etc. Where would we be now if we had the foresight then to enact such a tax?

You mentioned the real problem several times. Our world can not support 6.7 human beings.

I live in the rainshadow of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Many public lands here are grazed, some very overgrazed. Walk through these lands and you will see that the high nutrient native bunchgrasses have been eaten off the land and replaced by a low nutrient, weedy annual grass. These lands can no longer support the number of cows they used to because they were never grazed at a sustainable level.

So too with our earth. We are mining our limited stocks of soil, clean water, fisheries, etc. The result is that every year, the number of humans that this earth can support declines.

We have been living off of our petroleum savings account which it took nature 2 million years to create. It is now time to start using our daily energy income in the form of solar, wind and water currents. The Sun alone produces enough energy daily to run everything with more than 99% left over. The glass is not half full or half empty. Put the glass under Niagara Faills and it would not be enough to symbolize the amount of energy available for our use. Science is turning on the cosmic reservoir and combining the Suns limitless energy with our ever increasing intellect (we only learn more not less), what ever needs to be done can be done. Politics of abundance not scarcity. 50% of humanity now lives better than the richest monarch did prior to 1900. Through our design science revolution we can make it 100%. We must eliminate debt and interest as these feudal age inventions have wrecked our economy. We don't owe the Sun.

We must eliminate the burning of fossil fuels or face extinction. We must reeducate humanity in spontaneous social behaviors to avoid extinction. Nature has humanity in it's final exam. Let us hope we pass.

I don't understand why the media hasn't reported on the development of these new nuclear reactors that are half the size of a shipping container that can be buried in the ground and power 20,000 homes for a decade. There are no moving parts, and the material inside cannot be used for nuclear proliferation. They cost about 10 million bucks each. It's obscene to think that such vast amounts of treasure are being used to bankroll a bunch of corrupt playboys in the Middle East, which despite all the wealth that's flowed into that part of the world is still mired in hunger, disease, squalor and illiteracy.

What a beautiful article. We do have the technology. Mr. Zakaria, would you please look at vv-tec.com they have a distributed energy producing solution that can solve the energy crisis.

There are many other things we can do. mandate recyclability in product design! Limit GVW of cars on the road. Limit the weight of packaging! We can do it.

What a beautiful article. We do have the technology. Mr. Zakaria, would you please look at vv-tec.com they have a distributed energy producing solution that can solve the energy crisis.

There are many other things we can do. mandate recyclability in product design! Limit GVW of cars on the road. Limit the weight of packaging! We can do it.

HERE IS AN IMMEDIATE FIX FOR THE OIL CRISIS

Save 50 Cents Per Gallon At The Gas Pump.

There's not much that one of us can do about the price of gas at the pump, but as a team of American Patriots working together (en masse), we can accomplish much.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSQh4zQcThc

Thirty-seven years ago during the 1973 Oil Crisis we developed a liquid fuel conditioner. We call it MPG50. When added to gasoline or diesel fuel, it provides many benefits including a gas mileage boost of 25% to 50% and cutting exhaust pollution up to 90%. It is extremely cost-effective and widespread use of MPG50 can cut American dependence on foreign oil by 35%.

It's a No-Brainer: Buy a $25 trial bottle of MPG50 and you get a $40 Gasoline Rebate Voucher good at any gas station in North America. So, you make a $15 profit for trying MPG50. And, with $2/gallon gas prices a bottle of MPG50 will save you 50 cents/gallon, and since one bottle treats 160 gallons, you get $80 more in gas or diesel fuel savings.

The MPG50 Affiliate Plan also gives Americans a multi-billion dollar economic stimulus plan which could immediately put millions of Americans to work with no increase to the Federal deficit. As an Affiliate, you can make a good living wage & there is no cost for the business (Simply agree to buy one bottle of MPG50/month to qualify for commissions). See http://MPG50.com

You can not only save, but also earn, big $$$ marketing MPG50 as the price of gasoline & diesel fuel climbs higher & higher.

Affiliate signup: http://ebizac.com/affiliates/register.php?id=2373

God Bless America

I talk about overpopulation!

http://planetucker.com/2008/12/24/our-world-bursting-at-the-seams.aspx

We don't have an energy crisis, or a water crisis, or a garbage crisis. We have a people crisis.

Fareed,

You may want to check out this Aspen Strategy Group discussion.

http://fora.tv/2009/02/24/Robert_Hefner_The_Grand_Energy_Transition#chapter_01

Energy independence is great. Reducing carbon output is necessary. Hefner's thoughts need to be in the Washington dialog.

I look forward to your thoughts on Hefner's thesis.

Fareed,

You might want to check out this Aspen Strategy Group forum discussion on FORA.tv.

http://fora.tv/2009/02/24/Robert_Hefner_The_Grand_Energy_Transition#chapter_01

Energy independence is great. Reducing carbon footprint is fundamentally necessary. Hefner, I believe, has a way to do both. This needs to be in the Washington dialogue.

I look forward to your article on this.

Too Many People and with Too many People comes the Massive Demand for Oil and various forms of Energy.

The Population Explosion is the at the Heart of this Matter and People are Worse than Rabbits when it comes to a lack of Restraint in Over Populating the Earth.

India and China: That 's Over [[2 Billion People]] Right there and we [[USA]] are Over[[ 300 Million]]

Population Control, Believe it or Not is the Greatest Issue Confronting the World Today and No Country is doing a Good Job of Controlling the Population...

There should Only be 1-2 Children per Family and Not having Children would be the better Choice.

The World is Over Populated and that's not Good at all...

For Mother & Father Earth.

We are Tipping the Scales Waaaay Over and we all know what Happens the Scales are Tipped Over and there's No Balance...


The Scales [[Topple]] !!!

Mother and Father Earth is being Over-Loaded with the Sheer Enormity of Humanity and Most of this Humanity is...

[[POOR, HOMELESS & SICK]]

AN I'M NOT EXCLUDING ANY RACE....

I'M TALKING ALL HUMANITY

THE KEY TO ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONTROL & DEMAND IS...

BIRTH CONTROL AND DECREASING THE HUMAN POPULATION NUMBERS....

HAVE SEX, BY ALL MEANS, THAT DOES NOT MEAN, MAKING MORE HUMANS..DURING THE PROCESS.

OK

THINK [[BIRTH CONTROL]]

why is it that no one ever talks about population explosion anymore?