I've had these thoughts, though not as coherently and cohesively -- along with the long-held conviction that the earth's population has grown too large to be supported by the earth's resources. These two thoughts seem of a piece to me -- that once a system grows too large, it starts to collapse. Are viruses like Covid the planet's way of…
I've had these thoughts, though not as coherently and cohesively -- along with the long-held conviction that the earth's population has grown too large to be supported by the earth's resources. These two thoughts seem of a piece to me -- that once a system grows too large, it starts to collapse. Are viruses like Covid the planet's way of shaking off its major predator? Are the deep socio-political-cultural divisions we're seeing an inevitable result of societies being organized along the lines of have and have not? Have we already engineered the destruction of our species, with current situations being the beginning of Act I? Sorry -- a maudlin start to the day. I think I'll take the dog for a walk.
Somewhat off topic, but a response to the previous post: Each year, starting in 2006, the Global Footprint Network calculates so-called Earth Overshoot Day, “the date on which humanity has used more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year.” For 2020, the date was August 22; in 2021, it was July 29. The organization estimated that each year humanity was consuming about 160% of what the Earth could replenish. Here's a link:
I appreciate that you bring the environment and the Global Footprint into the discussion. Survival of our planet isn't really off topic. Ever. What will the 2022 date tell us about the Global Footprint? If we continue on the current path, it's not hard to predict.
I've had these thoughts, though not as coherently and cohesively -- along with the long-held conviction that the earth's population has grown too large to be supported by the earth's resources. These two thoughts seem of a piece to me -- that once a system grows too large, it starts to collapse. Are viruses like Covid the planet's way of shaking off its major predator? Are the deep socio-political-cultural divisions we're seeing an inevitable result of societies being organized along the lines of have and have not? Have we already engineered the destruction of our species, with current situations being the beginning of Act I? Sorry -- a maudlin start to the day. I think I'll take the dog for a walk.
Somewhat off topic, but a response to the previous post: Each year, starting in 2006, the Global Footprint Network calculates so-called Earth Overshoot Day, “the date on which humanity has used more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year.” For 2020, the date was August 22; in 2021, it was July 29. The organization estimated that each year humanity was consuming about 160% of what the Earth could replenish. Here's a link:
https://www.footprintnetwork.org/about-us/our-history/
Thanks for this info.
I appreciate that you bring the environment and the Global Footprint into the discussion. Survival of our planet isn't really off topic. Ever. What will the 2022 date tell us about the Global Footprint? If we continue on the current path, it's not hard to predict.