***Warnings about attending public events for the next 48 hrs... anyone heard anything about this?***

[GoldensRule]

The solution to overpopulation generated pollution is less people. We have 8 billion people on a planet that can support 2 billion.

Something has to give. I did my part, no kids.

Not having children, that's an extraordinarily passive action but, I for one appreciate your "sacrifice".

 

[GoldensRule]

In 2013 I was in the Chevron headquarters on my way to an investment proposal meeting with sub executive level leadership on an R&D floor that was mostly PhDs responsible for pushing the edges of Chevrons deepwater drilling platforms.

There were several posters on people's cubicle walls referring to obvious Sierra club and otherwise global warming related movements. I asked one of the scientists what it was all about and he said "most of these researchers chose oil and gas as a second option to doing actual research but the pay is so good they can't help it. They make a sort of intellectual stand about climate change because they want anyone that works around research to understand their positions on it"

I'm not saying it was ubiquitous, however, this was the most prized scientific research team in the gulf of mexico, and it was common enough I noticed it and felt it was worth mentioning.

Even if you wanted to pretend that dumping trillions of tons of aerosol CO2 with a 5000 year half life into a fingernail thin atmosphere is somehow magically not going to alter the chemistry in any way that matters I can't square it. Nevermind acidifying the ocean. It's wild that we're even still talking about all of this like it's a remotely sensible topic or something.

Money to be made I guess.

Backing out of the trees and looking at the forest (no pun intended), I think it boils down to simple human selfishness, greed and the ubiquitous "I've got mine, F- everyone else" attitude that a majority of human beings seem to posses.

We have very short lifespans and even many decent people who care about their kids and grandkids future's have a very difficult time thinking 50, let alone 100 - 1000 years into the future and caring about what will happen after they are dead. How many of us have known people who, as they were aging and getting close to death, when told about some impending war, natural / manmade disaster or governmental abuses said: "I'll be dead when that happens so I don't care."? I've known more than a few.

It's very sad.

 

[PlinkyDinky]

The solution to overpopulation generated pollution is less people. We have 8 billion people on a planet that can support 2 billion.

It always honks me off when people say that the planet could support another 8 billion or whatever; even if it could, why should it?? People are miserable enough as it is, cramming still more of us onto this overburdened rock isn't gonna magically make all those new lives worth living.

 

[couragewolf]

The solution to overpopulation generated pollution is less people. We have 8 billion people on a planet that can support 2 billion.

Something has to give. I did my part, no kids.

It my surprise people here based on my cynic-posting that I actually think the resources available to support and expand human life are nearly boundless.

The Earth and it's critical systems are simply vastly misappropriated and that's due to almost maniacally insane incentive systems we've built around absurd tribalist nonsense and fantasies.

I believe that if we collectively are able to re-align our incentive systems, and break free from our foolish leaders and their egotistical whims that we can build an almost limitless utopia for trillions of future humans.

I don't know how much longer we have to accomplish this shift, or if it's that breaking society is what will nudge us in that direction, but I believe it's entirely possible.

As the proud owner of two kids I think I owe it to them to give it my best shot with the meager resources and mind I have.