Quote:
Originally posted by Pooeypants,+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Pooeypants,)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin-Leopard,
Yes, the earth can support many times our current population - industry and business and perhaps standards of livings would not be the same as today, but there is plenty of room and resources for 10 times the population - the only thing that we lack is a societal/government structure which allows humans to exist without basic rights being trampled upon...
michael |
At the expense of most of the wildlife?
Sure we can support 60 billion humans, but imagine the heat we'd generate with our machines, we'd definitely get some global warming going...[/b][/quote]
pooey,
you assume that all decisions are predetermined and that we will not continue to make new decisions as the world changes around us. Do not simply imagine the world as it exists today being the same one which would just include an additional 60 billion humans - obviously it will not be so.
As the population increases and whatever effects are starting to be felt (increased heat, less wildlife, more polluted air, food shortages, etc) then prices will reflect these changes. People will adjust their consumption to take into account these new prices and thus industry will change according to how people desire. For instance, if deer were to become much more endangered and peoples valuation of having/seeing deer around and participating in the environment then the prices for such would increase until the point where the market would reflect this by generating large 'deer' reserves and private enviromentally 'untouched' tracts of land for folks to experience and enjoy nature.
Once the costs of housing and fuel and all other manner of things became great enough, then humans would have the incentive as a whole to push out into the solar system because the price/benefit ratio would equalize between living on earth and 'out there'. This is the marvel of the pricing system and the interaction of folks when participating in uncoerced trade - we take into account all the things which are important to us and this is reflected in the market.
michael