posted on Dec, 31 2004 @ 12:48 AM
Overpopulation is normally in check with nature, as resources only support what it is able to, but one thing you might want to consider is that
today's society is largely based on an oil economy, which is a rich source of free energy. Oil resources are not entirely free to me and you, but it
is the single most important economic factor in our society that has made our modern way of life possible to support the current population. It is
theoretical that we could all live now without all that we have, but many people cannot do so, because of many factors.
I am not trying to make this post into a debate on the oil shortage, but I am just pointing out that the oil age that we now live in has boosted the
population by having an easy means of cheap energy. Oil is like an energy 'bank', in that the energy content in oil is a potential energy that has
been stored over many years by biological means from the sun.
This energy provides a cheap means of progressing society many times fold in what we can do. Oil is non renewable, but some could argue this.
Current organic fuels are only renewable at their present rate of growth. For example, corn fuels can only grow once a year at a certain volume, but
you can grow another crop next year. Without fuel to burn for energy, much of our current society would collapse and cause total chaos.
Besides energy, the other resources we have are mostly recycleable, like steel. These things are not required for humans to live on, but only support
the industrial age, which is just an enhancement of creating things to make life easier. Everything produced, whether mining stone, growing crops, or
running your car requires more energy than man can make. It is ultimately down to having the energy to do so, which for now is stored energy in
fossil fuels. When these decline, mankind will have to either find another source as good or start working our arses off. Most people in 1st world
countries have lost the ability to chop enough wood for the winter and frankly their isnt enough forests to heat our homes without oil based fuels.