DEAR Editor:
Subscribing to reputable news reports/predictions makes for depressing reading.
It seems the world is a mess with political, economic and climatic problems threatening the survival of the planet. All these problems, we are told by science would be lessened by the population changing their greedy and indifferent behaviour. Fat chance of that happening.
The elephant in the room apparently is still global overpopulation. It has taken only 25 years to increase the world’s inhabitants by one thousand million.
And right now all these people are busy producing more people. Exponentially the figures must be astronomic.
Scientists forecast that by 2050 there will be 10 billion people on earth. And Africa will double its population.
All these people have to eat, be housed, educated, have access to health-care and hopefully employed – but with the advent of artificial intelligence and the use of robots that do not go on strike or need holidays, that’s a non-starter.
(But being realistic Eskom will not be able to power these machines so it may be back to the hacksaw and file after all).
If we don’t get global warming under control the seas levels will rise to reduce land space and increased temperature will turn today’s farmlands into a desert with fresh water becoming more scarce than ever.
With the ice caps melting, the resultant weight loss that keeps the earth’s tectonic plates firmly in place will allow volcanoes to unleash even more heat.
Forget education. Forget housing. Forget employment. Food and fresh water will be the new currencies.
Mass migration to (at present) greener pastures – (which has already begun) – will see concentrations of population in these areas fuel social unrest and violence the likes of which is difficult to comprehend.
So, they reckon the way forward is to look on the bright side, eradicate political and religious militancy, make the economy healthy and recycle our jam tins. But that still leaves us with an excess of people – worldwide.
But how do we approach this little problem?
The medical and pharmaceutical houses allegedly tried with a new disease called AIDS. It looked promising but petered out (although it produced a nice little earner selling antiretrovirals). The Chinese tried a ‘one child per family’ rule which had serious social repercussions. Wars, although attractive to industrialists who make weapons would not have the sort of results that would make the necessary difference – so we have to rely on natural attrition. The Pope must get real and tell his followers that birth control can and must be used, abortion under certain conditions is ok. Euthanasia under certain conditions is ok. Sterilisation after a certain number of births must be mandatory.
It will take time and unfortunately time is not on our side but, are there any better ideas out there?
Or maybe we should read more from optimistic scientists.
IAN BRITT
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
