The world's population should be at most 50 million.

[onlinebiker]

The Chinese are the biggest CO2 polluters today because of their huge population, even with a fraction of the per capita footprint of Americans.  Both China and India want to increase their affluence significantly this century, which is a real problem for controlling climate change.  They are still increasing their burning of fossil fuels.

Absolutely, they're burning through the shit.  On the one hand we can see that this is problematic..but on the other, it wouldn't be a huge stretch to say that if you want life to look like x in your country, there's a certain chunk of fossil fuels you can burn through to get there.  We did it, and sitting up here seeking to close that door behind us is a tough sell.

Better to provide compelling alternatives to the burning of those fuels that will produce the increase desired.  It's just a shame we went the other way with it.  Deregulating and stagnating at the level of federal policy.  
(that ship needs to be righted.  IIRC, we spend ten times as much on fossil fuel subsidy compared to renewables)

Studies have shown that increasing education for girls is the most effective way to reduce populations.

I'm sure it helps.

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I think I can find a way to tie you, bker, and you, thoreau...to a single communal issue and then explain why we might just want to keep those poors around, bringing all three of us into a sort of agreement.  Follow me through the weeds, tell me what you think.  

If we agree that fossil fuel consumption is a global problem.  If we agree that our food systems are based start to finish on oil.  Let;s talk about a post fossil fuel reality.

Who is going to do the work that all of those fossil fuel consuming machines and methodologies do?  If we want to phase out fossil fuels (and we all three do, I think, yes?), then we might want to hang a now hiring sign out right now and get a headstart on manpower.  Alternative methodologies are, as a rule..labor and management intensive.

So your solution to poverty is indentured servitude, slavery, or minimum wage?


As if there's a difference to those at the bottom.