Thread: Decline of the West

Originally Posted by earcutter

No, not this time - it's always debated though. With so many countries starting to place vast amounts of Chinese currency in their baskets though... Well, it kind of has me a bit concerned.

Why? It seems a fair question.

Looking towards the year 2100, models forecast that pressures on biota
will continue to increase. The co-opting of resources and energy use by
humans will continue to increase as the global population reaches
9,500,000,000 people (by 2050), and effects will be greatly exacerbated if
per capita resource use also increases. Projections for 2100 range from a
population low of 6,200,000,000 (requiring a substantial decline in
fertility rates) to 10,100,000,000 (requiring continued decline of fertility
in countries that still have fertility above replacement level) to
27,000,000,000 (if fertility remains at 2005–2010 levels; this population size
is not thought to be supportable; ref. 31). Rapid climate change shows no
signs of slowing. Modelling suggests that for ,30% of Earth, the speed at
which plant species will have to migrate to keep pace with projected
climate change is greater than their dispersal rate when Earth last shifted
froma glacial to an interglacial climate47, and that dispersalwill be thwarted
by highly fragmented landscapes. Climates found at present on 10–48%
of the planet are projected to disappear within a century, and climates
that contemporary organisms have never experienced are likely to cover
12–39% of Earth48. The mean global temperature by 2070 (or possibly a
few decades earlier) will be higher than it has been since the human
species evolved.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal...ature11018.pdf

Personally, I'm more worried about global apocalypse than the decline of the West.

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Why? It seems a fair question.

It's an awesome question - one that will affect just about every human on Earth. But it's hard to get to the truth.

xuz:
Where I live the morons who post comments to the local on-line newspaper claim global warming is a myth. Have any of those around you?

earcutter:
"Truth" belongs in a philosophy class. I'm much more interested in "fact" (science). "Truth" is entirely dependent upon perspective -- point of view. "Fact" is objective, definable, replicable and measurable.

Originally Posted by xuz

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal...ature11018.pdf

Personally, I'm more worried about global apocalypse than the decline of the West.

If China and or the Brick countries learn to consume like us in the West, we will indeed need to worry about the health of the planet. But as it stands... this is something we seemingly don't wish to face! We talk...

Ah but then Malthus was wrong?? We aren’t starving yet.

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

earcutter:
"Truth" belongs in a philosophy class. I'm much more interested in "fact" (science). "Truth" is entirely dependent upon perspective -- point of view. "Fact" is objective, definable, replicable and measurable.

My bad - facts! Hey when we start sailing the N/W passage - then you can tell/sell me on global warming! Until then, I think you... Wait! They are sailing the passage! LOL>

Originally Posted by Jimbo

oh, wait....is that a book I see being flogged at the end of the article?

Man, am I the only one who is bothered by that hideous switching between wide and medium close-up? You'd think with the money they charge for the magazine they can afford a little bit better... Unless they paid extra because unsettling the viewers triggers a specific response facilitating the flow of capital ...

Originally Posted by gugi

Man, am I the only one who is bothered by that hideous switching between wide and medium close-up? You'd think with the money they charge for the magazine they can afford a little bit better... Unless they paid extra because unsettling the viewers triggers a specific response facilitating the flow of capital ...

it killed me too lol.

Originally Posted by earcutter

My bad - facts! Hey when we start sailing the N/W passage - then you can tell/sell me on global warming! Until then, I think you... Wait! They are sailing the passage! LOL>

Yeah, that's where the F/V Time Bandit found the mermaids...