The end of the world as we know it...

Chris....I see where you're going with this:

Aliens invade, a virus on our planet wipes them out, just as we're celebrating an astroid hits the Earth and changes our orbit to send us hurling into the Sun. You too have seen the future:

Virus
Aliens
Asteroid
Sun

 

End of the world as YOU know it:

Everyone moves to San Diego (where it is 78 degrees every day) and you go under.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_the_world_%28civilization%29

 

People use the End of Civilization and the End of the World as if they shared an analogous definition.

At this point, I'm sure the rest of the world would be pretty well off if the End of Civilization came sooner rather than later, and if it did, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be the end of the world.

And while all of you sit around and wonder what will bring about the End of Civilization, I have to wonder what will bring about the beginning of it.

 

Mass Consumption.

America currently accounts for 4% of the Global population, yet consumes 50% of Earths natural resources.

This has been okay thus far. Here's where the problem comes in: The consumerist ideals of American culture are spreading prolifically via cultural imperialism through the internet, cinema and television like never before. All of a sudden half of asia and the middle east want and are actively seeking to live the life they see on television and the movies. All of a sudden its not 250 Million people living the American dream, its hundreds of millions more. You see where I am getting at.

If current waste and consumerism attitudes dont shift dramatically, at legislative level, by 2050 we would need SIX planet earths to keep up with our consumption of natural resources.

And this isnt even touching on the issue of fuel.

I dont really believe that terrorism or war can account for significant loss of life at any level. Death from smoke related respitory illness' each year alone make up more deaths than any war or act of terrorism (including nuclear) ever will.

 

Got a source for this?

The consumerist ideals are spreading to other nation via our through cultural imperialism? Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the consumption of US American goods in most countries is a voluntary action. Furthermore, if this is such a prevalent evil, why do most countries export more of their **** than we palm off on them?

And how did you arrive at this all of a sudden thing? Internet? Movies? Hell, all of Europe was enamored with American troops that came in with more unofficial payload than they were with movies that depicted such. And this was back in the 40's.

Got a source? And what is a legislative level?

Good, because you have done a bang-up job nailing down the other bits of your hoo-aah.

What was the leading cause of death in the years of 1939-1945?

 

Wars that will one day spread very nasty stuff through the air making most of the world un-livable.

 

This 'hoo-hah' as you call it, is exactly why we are faced with the environmental dillemma thats actually starting to look like the begining of the end. If we dont change that is. Why do you think the Ice caps are melting? Why do you think we are seeing tempratures rising, storms becoming fiercer and hurricanes cat'n up?

To answer to your questions, my answers are as follows:

1. To put things in perspective Korr, the Average american consumes 1091 Kg of forest products per year. the average China-man consumes 40 Kg. The average for the world is 70 KG.

References:

USBC. 1996. Statistical Abstract of the United States 1996. Vol. 200th ed. Washington,
PRC. 1994. Year Book of 1994 of the People's Republic of China. Beijing: PRC
UNEP. 1985. Energy Supply Demand in Rural Areas in Developing Countries. Report of
the Executive Director. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme.

2. I suggest you read up on modern cultural imperialism. It is economically motivated and not politically as such, in the meaning you are thinking.

I am not saying it is to blame, I am just stating how the problem of "Me too" culture has come about. We'd all like to live the American Dream. But the bottomline is we cant. We as human beings, collectively cannot afford to.

And I never said it was an evil. Evil is a strong word to use, you shouldnt throw it around so loosely Korr.

When I say all of a sudden, I am talking about Internet and satellite TV. In China, where previous generations hadn't been exposed to external media, we are seeing a significant number of youth in current generations growing up with major identity issues. They find identity through consumerism and culture which is derived largely from one source.

3. Legislative level means passing all sorts of legislation that would regulate consumption/waste. For example, one of these legislations would be incorporating the cost of product recycling or cost of landfill waste into the product itself, as to control the conumption/waste ratio. The FED regulates inflation by controlling interest rates. In the same way as such, our natural resource (earth) is our most valuable currency and should be taken in to consideration at a global (collaborative) government level. The Kyoto protocol is one of the first treaties to address these relevant issues, and I assume legeslative measures would model themselves after that.

As to my source for needing 6 earths by 2050: Your calculator. Pull it out and do some basic statistic arithmetic.
At the current rate of population growth and consumption, you will be hard pressed to come up with any other conclusion than that we are outgrowing our earths resources, and mother nature aint gonna spoon feed us forever.


4. I'm sorry what was your question??

5. The leading cause of death recorded between 1939-1945 was world war 2; 50 million people died. Do i get a cookie???

As per my previous post, Smoke related respitory illness counts for 7 million deaths per year and is set to double within in the next 15 years. These deaths are ongoing and occur every minute.

And before the Mods get ticked off for seeing what could be percieved as a political post in Off-Topic, I'd like to say that the focus of my post is entirely environmental/ecological related.

Cheers

 

Steve....maybe you should get a radio for your car on those drives....

 

Why do YOU think they are melting? Why do YOU think global mean temperature is on the rise? Are you trying to base your argument on global warming as caused by the activity of human beings? Please. No one can predict the weather on any given day, much less pinch out some real proof pointing to the cause of global warming.

Recycled or old growth paper products? The average Chinese person eats 1495% more rice than the average American does. Who is eating who out of house and home?

Nairobi? Really? You are on a limb now. And what are these pointing to? Link them as I asked.

Call it what you want. You would, anyway. There is no covert (or otherwise) movement from the US government to corrupt other nations via movies, songs, clothes or other such bull****. When we want to corrupt people, we do it at gunpoint, and with really cool music and movies for ourselves to celebrate the (many) occasions. The fact that 99% of the rest of the world lives in complete poverty is lost on a lot of people. Give something for people to aspire to and they will aspire to it. And the **** that people buy en masse isn't communism or socialism. It's food, clothes and **** all neat **** that Americans have squirting out their ears and the rest of the world can only hope to have some day. The basic concept behind all this isn't "Consumerism" it is " A higher quality of life". And of course most of the backward ****s on the planet miss out on key fact that "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is a way of life that enables us to get all this is a *curiously* forgotten fact.

Oh, you mean a trite attempt at shutting out US interests under the false guise of being green.

How about you provide some facts that allow me to do so, instead of hoping I will clue into your imaginary well of falsehoods?

Light on facts. Heavy on bull****. Are you a democrat?

 

Korr you seem to have a hostile overtone to your post which I dont appreciate or understand, nevertheless I'll answer your questions.

Arctic Icecaps are Disappearing every year. Where do you think they are going Einstein?

Global warming is in large part caused by the activity of human beings. Lets see, who else is pumping CO2 into the atmosphere? Who Caused the hole in the Ozone layer? I know for a fact that I partially did. So did you. So did everyone on this board using a computer.

Rice is a food. Producing and consuming it causes no ill effects to the environment other than the processes envolved in marketing the rice (transportation/packaging).

Cutting down tree's causes many ecological problems. Please do not compare rice picking to cutting down tree's. I know thats not your intention, but if you are comparing the two, you have proven my point twice fold.

And what is "old-growth paper products"? What I meant is forest product, just as I stated. Do you buy magazines printed on recycled paper? Do you get junk-mail printed on recycled paper? Do you buy furniture made from recycled wood? I bet 99% of the time you are not aware of the recycled content of your forest sourced product. If you are aware, then my Kudo's to you, good man.

You did not ask for a link. You asked for a source. It would be convenient wouldnt it if every source of information was available on the web. Thats why we have libraries, use them!

And it's from an article published by the United Nations Environmental Programme. How am I on a limb and since when was a U.N research article a non credible source citation?

Why are you getting defensive? I never said there was anything wrong with it. I am just stating facts. I havent made anything up. The fact is that the penetration of American culture in worldwide markets has created a demand for everything associated with that culture. The closest way they can aquire this is through material goods. Because this is what they see on TV. It has nothing at all to do with what your talking about. I'm talking about culture and mass consumption.

And do not tell me "Higher Quality of Life". Most of the things we buy as consumers has little to do with a higher quality of life and more to do with building a sharper tip on Maslows Hierarchy of needs. My GF has 78 Pairs of shoes and 78 cardboard boxes to go with them. I do not see how that is contributing to a higher "Quality" of life.

Anyway, my point is, MORE people are seeking this "quality of life".

What are you talking about? I was merely reffering to economic control. Maybe I shouldve been clearer, my fault. Lets say you buy a washing machine. It works great for 10 years, then you have to throw that out. When you throw it out, it might go to a junkyard for parts, but most likely it would end up in a landfill somewhere. That Landfill has an environmental cost that you would not pay. Legislation to incorporate the cost of disposal and the cost of environmental impact in to the cost of the product is what I was referring to. That way we would pay for what we damage (environmentally).

If it wasnt legislative, no one would voluntarilly contribute. It has to be legislative.

Lets see..the world population will be 9.2 Billion in 2050. Currently at a population of 6 Billion, 10% of the worlds population are consuming a majority of the worlds resources. With the problem of mass consumption that I mentioned before, we simply will not have enough of anything to keep up.

I think the only person here who is heavy on Red Bull is you mate. Lets have a look:

Hmm... SURE. 99% of the REST of the world live in COMPLETE poverty. Could it be perhaps the person speaking from lack of fact and knowledge be you? Think about it.

 

u forgot :

Cars are banned for whatever stupid reason .. that would be the end of it all !

 

Some say that when the world ends it will be replaced by something even more terrifying and evil.

Some say this has already happened.

 

Next Thursday.





Terry

 

here they be ---------- are these tits awsome or what ..............
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

You dissapoint me!! You know those are real dont you???

 

no way dude, got the pic from a implant site.

 

Scary, and thinkably possible.

 

No ****, I couldve sworn they were real. The angle of incidence on the implant protrusion is almost 0 . They must be one of those sub pectorial implants.

 

The numbers I heard recently were that the US consumes 1/3rd of the world's energy (oil/gas) but accounted for 1/3rd of the world's GDP. Energy use is correlated to productivity. BTW - the percentages for the US are declining, as global consumption and GDP increases.

 

wow, you impress me !!!!!!!! you know your tits !!!!!! a man after my own heart, or should i say jugs....

 

And Rush writes a song called "Red Barchetta." Wait, maybe that's out of order.

For those interested in global consumption: (disclaimer: I don't really care what you think on the topic, I'm only posting it in the off chance that someone might be interested in actually learning about it)
http://www.myfootprint.org/

 

Your right on the money. Global consumption is on the increase and thats where the problem is starting to occur.

I was actually referring to environmental resources/consumption rather than the easily quantifiable GDP or energy expenditure. As i mentioned, the cost of environmental impact is not factored in to the goods we buy (because no one cares), so the price we are paying is infact much higher.

 

What can I say, I have discriminating taste. From one breast connoisseur to another, cheers!

 

number 1 or 6

edit: this should be a poll btw..