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Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

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Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#41

Post by akira2501 »

mmaunder wrote: post #9

This is why we need less humans on this planet. No one says that, because having as many kids as you like seems to be considered a basic human right. But imagine Earth with a stable 10% of our current population. Clean, abundant, and without the catastrophic extinction event already underway.

> But imagine Earth with a stable 10% of our current population.

I can't imagine maintaining that in anything other than a brutal and arbitrary way. It's very difficult to separate humans from their humanity, and even in countries where birth limits have been tried, we know that it is an ineffective policy and is ultimately cruel.

> Clean, abundant, and without the catastrophic extinction event already underway.

Just take your ideas one step further. Earth is not a home for humans, it is a crucible that seeks to find the most suitable form of life. There's no reason we should expect to succeed, and if we can't, half-measures that only prolong suffering and the failure of our biology are illogical.

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#42

Post by tozeur »

mmaunder wrote: post #9

This is why we need less humans on this planet. No one says that, because having as many kids as you like seems to be considered a basic human right. But imagine Earth with a stable 10% of our current population. Clean, abundant, and without the catastrophic extinction event already underway.

Thanos is that you?

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#43

Post by vnchr »

mmaunder wrote: post #9

This is why we need less humans on this planet. No one says that, because having as many kids as you like seems to be considered a basic human right. But imagine Earth with a stable 10% of our current population. Clean, abundant, and without the catastrophic extinction event already underway.

I’m not sure how to interpret your directive (“we need less humans...” “10% of our current population”) without deep disgust. Your critique of others’ presumption of rights as humans clashes with your ideal where 90% of humans lack even the right to live. Most appalling is that this world view might be treated as anything less than macabre.

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#44

Post by rxhernandez »

torwayburger wrote: post #31
baddox wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s a very real chance that strategy would significantly increase the likelihood of human extinction in the medium to distant future. We need minds to solve problems. Of course, that’s not to say that it’s impossible to have too many people, or even that decreasing the likelihood of human extinction is necessarily one of the most important goals.

Sure - could it equally be argued that minds created the problems we need minds to solve? Seems circular.

No, not equally argued. We didn't put asteroids into motion that can destroy the earth's ability to sustain human life. I'm sure you could infinitely fill a list of things we have no control over that could make humans extinct.

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#45

Post by dragosmocrii »

naringas wrote: post #35
mmaunder wrote: post #9

This is why we need less humans on this planet. No one says that, because having as many kids as you like seems to be considered a basic human right. But imagine Earth with a stable 10% of our current population. Clean, abundant, and without the catastrophic extinction event already underway.

Why 10%? Why not 5%? or 25%? Also, how would you chose who gets to stay? In any case I find it quite hard to justify a reduction of population based on being able to have better sights

Ithink the ratio was chosen randomly, and is not important. What's important is to get the population number down in the longterm. Or, in other words, make sure that longterm the population doesn't grow beyond control. If you're having 2 kids in your lifetime, you're helping to drive the population down. Having at most2 kids is fair, don't! ou think?

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#46

Post by acslater00 »

It's amazing and wonderful how much environmental damage seems to be recovering. Air pollution is down, carbon emissions are down as much as 17%, fish and sharks are repopulating shorelines and beaches - and to think, all it took was the most severe public health crisis in 100 years, a catastrophic global recession, and an overpowering wave of human misery and death

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#47

Post by iguy »

catalogia wrote: post #38
mvid wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlikely. Usually mostly due to agricultural burning and motor vehicles.

Road vehicles and agricultural vehicles have both been using ULSD for the past 10 or so years in America, and it's my impression that this is common elsewhere in the developed world too. ULSD has two orders of magnitude less sulfur than common jet fuel.

Kathmandu is far from this, by the way. IIRC a major component of the smog was from smugglers adulterating the fuel, e.g. adding kerosene to gasoline.

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#48

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

acslater00 wrote: post #46

It's amazing and wonderful how much environmental damage seems to be recovering. Air pollution is down, carbon emissions are down as much as 17%, fish and sharks are repopulating shorelines and beaches - and to think, all it took was the most severe public health crisis in 100 years, a catastrophic global recession, and an overpowering wave of human misery and death

As predicted.

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#49

Post by torwayburger »

rxhernandez wrote: post #44
torwayburger wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure - could it equally be argued that minds created the problems we need minds to solve? Seems circular.

No, not equally argued. We didn't put asteroids into motion that can destroy the earth's ability to sustain human life. I'm sure you could infinitely fill a list of things we have no control over that could make humans extinct.

Agreed. Those are non human events. I was literally referring to all the human activity that could end in extinction, though.

Re: Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu for first time in living memory

#50

Post by trhway »

seanwilson wrote: post #40
mmaunder wrote: post #9

This is why we need less humans on this planet. No one says that, because having as many kids as you like seems to be considered a basic human right. But imagine Earth with a stable 10% of our current population. Clean, abundant, and without the catastrophic extinction event already underway.

If you view 7.5 billion humans as being too many people, what are your views on the 70 billion farm animals we have?

isn't the 70B of farm animals just a part of the "7.5B humans" problem?

Anyway, i think that it is a crying shame that we're still farming animals instead of growing artificial meat. Once we finally have artificial meat and thus stop killing sentient beings, i think that would result in a great leap in our conscience, empathy, etc. - it will unleash a great deal of human mental development with natural results in social and economic development.

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