End of the world?

Ark_Welder

Geoff23 wrote: »

Electric cars don't solve the problem. Not without the massive cost of changing the infrastructure and where is all the extra electricity going to come from? Even without a widespread conversion to electric cars the UK is going to have trouble keeping the lights on, because we are dependent on aging nuclear plants and the dwindling supply of north sea gas.

http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/

Geoff23 wrote: »

Got any suggestions how the human race is going deal with that problem? Because right now it is still taboo even to talk about it.

What taboo? It only so for those that choose to make it so. If any of us on here had the knowledge to develop 'the solution' then the idea would already be patented and our fortunes would be made.

talexuser

I agree that population growth is the elephant in the room which needs a long term solution. Unfortunately all the recent crises show that difficult decisions are put off everywhere until panic measures become mandatory.

Geoff23

Ark_Welder wrote: »

http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/

You think it is wise to plan for the future based on technologies that haven't been invented yet????

What taboo? It only so for those that choose to make it so. If any of us on here had the knowledge to develop 'the solution' then the idea would already be patented and our fortunes would be made.

There is a taboo about admitting there are too many humans and not enough resources. We talk about things like oil-dependency and climate change as problems in themselves that we have to face or solve, but we don't admit that actually the problem is that there's just too many of us consuming too much and producing too much waste. The only solution is for there to be fewer humans and lower consumptions levels, but that's a hard sell to everbody but ecologists.

IronWolf

China has already taken action on population growth. This has led to problems though, but its not the fault of the government, its the fault of the people that choose to kill their little girls because they want a boy.

Another problem of halting population growth though is that you suddenly have fewer youngsters to pay taxes to care for the elderly.

Anyone below 40 at the moment should start saving for their retirement themselves and not rely on the state. By the time we retire state care homes might be high rise slums with nothing but basic foods to tide you over.

Ark_Welder

Geoff23 wrote: »

You think it is wise to plan for the future based on technologies that haven't been invented yet????

Take the time to actually read what is on the web-site. Or are future technologies a taboo subject?

Geoff23 wrote: »

There is a taboo about admitting there are too many humans and not enough resources. We talk about things like oil-dependency and climate change as problems in themselves that we have to face or solve, but we don't admit that actually the problem is that there's just too many of us consuming too much and producing too much waste. The only solution is for there to be fewer humans and lower consumptions levels, but that's a hard sell to everbody but ecologists.

'The only soultion' sounds like a pre-determined opinion with no interest in discussion of possibilies, therefore making the subject appear to be taboo.


Perhaps you are using the word 'taboo' when 'lack of interest' would be a more appropriate description - that I would agree with.

Geoff23

Ark_Welder wrote: »

Take the time to actually read what is on the web-site. Or are future technologies a taboo subject?

You can talk about cold fusion if you like. You can also talk about dilithium crystals...

'The only soultion' sounds like a pre-determined opinion with no interest in discussion of possibilies, therefore making the subject appear to be taboo.

What other possibilities are there?

Perhaps you are using the word 'taboo' when 'lack of interest' would be a more appropriate description - that I would agree with.

More like "people don't want to know."

Geoff23

IronWolf wrote: »

China has already taken action on population growth.

Sure, but it's not a democracy.

This has led to problems though, but its not the fault of the government, its the fault of the people that choose to kill their little girls because they want a boy.

Another problem of halting population growth though is that you suddenly have fewer youngsters to pay taxes to care for the elderly.

Anyone below 40 at the moment should start saving for their retirement themselves and not rely on the state. By the time we retire state care homes might be high rise slums with nothing but basic foods to tide you over.

I'm 43. Almost nobody I know has a pension, because they think this is pouring money down the drain, or because they can't afford it. Don't get me started on pensions. That's another great big can of worms which has no politically-acceptable solution.

My pension pot is made of metal.

Ark_Welder

Geoff23 wrote: »

You can talk about cold fusion if you like. You can also talk about dilithium crystals...

Actually, these sound more up your street than mine.

Thrugelmir

Geoff23 wrote: »

I'm 43. Almost nobody I know has a pension, because they think this is pouring money down the drain, or because they can't afford it.

How one spends ones own money is ones own choice.

Geoff23

Thrugelmir wrote: »

How one spends ones own money is ones own choice.

True, but there's a wider issue here. There's an old saying about how if you owe the bank £100,000 then you are likely to lose sleep, but if you owe the bank £100,000,000 then the bank manager will lose sleep. It's a bit like that with the generations and pensions. If a few people under 45 haven't got a decent pension plan then it is they who may one day have big problems, but if most of the population under 45 don't have a decent pension plan then it is the whole of society which is heading for major problems.