Utter nonsense.Don't be ridiculous. We don't have an overpopulation problem in the UK. If anything, the opposite.
There's a very strong argument to say that there isn't an overpopulation problem anywhere in the world. Population levels are falling across the western world and in a lot of Asia. Populations are still increasing in much of Africa and Latin America, but it's largely due to poverty and lack of education and there are still very high rates of infant mortality.
Increasing population in itself is not a problem. What is a problem is the expansion of consumerism as political and economic philosophy into large parts of the world where it has been so far largely absent. The planet simply can't take that level of consumption and resource extraction and use. And that is what the XR movement is about. Trying to prod western governments into thinking about a more sustainable political economy and western populations into thinking about more sustainable lifestyles.
Those who bang on about overpopulation actually want the rest of the world to just stop, while they go on with enjoying their historically privileged lifestyles and without thinking, or actually dismissing, about the necessary changes we are all going to have to make.
Utter nonsense.
1 person requires 1 x resource and produces 1 x emissions.
1 billion?
7 billion?
The planet is a finite resource with a finite carbon sink and a finite atmospheric volume.
Of course the problem is population growth. Kull 90% of the population and the problem is solved overnight.
Greta's desire to go zero carbon in ten minutes will kill quite a few but it won't be enough.
I thought this was about climate change and not the whole socialist thing again?
Judging off the stake comment, it sounds to me more like you want stealth taxes to fund your socialist utopia rather than solve climate change?
I have always got the impression that this is the real aim for ER members and to them whilst the climate is important, establishing a socialist order is just as if not more important.
This is why they are totally devoid of reasoning behind the fact that for example it is the Tories and a Blair government that brought us from 3% renewables to 45% and a green tech boom. Those dirty capitalists....
Utter nonsense.
1 person requires 1 x resource and produces 1 x emissions.
1 billion?
7 billion?
The planet is a finite resource with a finite carbon sink and a finite atmospheric volume.
Of course the problem is population growth. Kull 90% of the population and the problem is solved overnight.
Greta's desire to go zero carbon in ten minutes will kill quite a few but it won't be enough.
There are far fewer climate related deaths than ever before. Your assumptions are not backed by fact.Climate change over the next 100 years will directly and indirectly lead to more deaths than any event in human history. It's absolute nonsense to say 'a desire to reduce our carbon emissions will kill people'.
People in western countries (such as me and presumably you) who have the financial means to change our lifestyle can do so at no cost to anyone else. This is a short read on veganism as an example:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/21/lifestyle-change-eat-less-meat-climate-change
I'm sure you and a lot of others who read that will say 'I'm not going vegan, I like to eat 13 steaks a week with a side of sausages and ribs'. But the reality is that the whole world couldn't consume the same levels of meat (especially red meat) as we do. We can ALL make lifestyle changes to reduce our individual impact on the environment. It boils down to people either being selfish (not caring about the damage their lifestyle has on future generations/poorer communities who'll bare the brunt of climate change) or being completely naïve about climate change and reluctant to consider it (which is also selfish).
Earth could provide for billions more humans if we lived a greener lifestyle.
I have some sympathy for this viewpoint.Don't be ridiculous. We don't have an overpopulation problem in the UK. If anything, the opposite.
There's a very strong argument to say that there isn't an overpopulation problem anywhere in the world. Population levels are falling across the western world and in a lot of Asia. Populations are still increasing in much of Africa and Latin America, but it's largely due to poverty and lack of education and there are still very high rates of infant mortality.
Increasing population in itself is not a problem. What is a problem is the expansion of consumerism as political and economic philosophy into large parts of the world where it has been so far largely absent. The planet simply can't take that level of consumption and resource extraction and use. And that is what the XR movement is about. Trying to prod western governments into thinking about a more sustainable political economy and western populations into thinking about more sustainable lifestyles.
Those who bang on about overpopulation actually want the rest of the world to just stop, while they go on with enjoying their historically privileged lifestyles and without thinking, or actually dismissing, about the necessary changes we are all going to have to make.
Parallels can be drawn with WW2. An existential threat is there for all to see, but now as then there are plenty of appeasers as well as bury head in sand types.
All of us contribute in some way or other to the problem, but that doesn't mean we should heap scorn on those trying to do something about it.
Politicians around the world time and again have failed, time for another approach.
You need to back that up with clear scientific fact.
So far no one from ER has been able to other than to say "well people will die, we dont know how many but they will"
No shit.
As Neil pointed out in the last 100 years deaths from extreme weather incidents have dropped by 95%
Authoritarian creep yet again.
The police now halting lawful protest.
Blocking roads is not lawful..
Go park your car across the M60 and when the police arrive tell them you are having a lawful protest and see how long you last.
Same for pitching a tent in the middle of a road in central London.
Peaceful protest could and should have been done via an organised march.
Blocking roads is not lawful..
Go park your car across the M60 and when the police arrive tell them you are having a lawful protest and see how long you last.
Same for pitching a tent in the middle of a road in central London.
Peaceful protest could and should have been done via an organised march.
Authoritarian creep yet again.
The police now halting lawful protest.
The Police supported their right to protest.
They created conditions to allow for it but XR broke the conditions which are there to minimize disruption and allow for them to protest safely and peacefully.
The Police have already spent enough time policing this instead of stopping murders of which there have been 5 in London since XR started last week.
In any organised peaceful protest march or demonstration roads are invariably blocked.