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View Full Version : How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? – A Documentary by Sir David Attenborough



suniljakhar
January 4th, 2010, 02:48 AM
Greetings to all of you for the new decade and new year 2010.

Happened to see this wonderful documentary on BBC recently by David Attenborough and thought to share it with you all. Not sure if this has already been posted on JL, but its worth to post it again even if it is.

Some of the key points mentioned in documentary are –

1. At the time of the circulation of this documentary (coudn't dig out when was it published first), the current population on Earth was 6.8 billion
2. By 2050, the total population would reach up to 9 billion
3. Great INDIA will surpass China’s population and we will become No 1 populous country in the world
4. Of the total Natural Resources if used fairly (measured in Global Hectare in this documentary, some kind of unit for measuring natural resources for consumption), each one of us is allocated 2 Global Hectare unit for consumption
5. However, there is much disparity for this consumption in Asian, European & American countries – Indians use 0.89 GH each, Chinese use 2.11 GH each, Africans use 1.37 GH each, Europeans use 4.45 GH each, Britons use 5.33 GH each and Americans use 9.42 GH each.
6. By the above calculation, if each one of us consume 1 GH of natural resources (an average Indian consumption), the mother Earth can sustain 15 billion population approx
7. If everyone starts consuming like Americans, Earth can only sustain 1 and half billion people

Where are we heading towards?
What are we doing to give back to society?

The documentary links can easily be found on YouTube or any other site; I am posting two links for reference here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JypyASU8Aik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hbkFP6k09E&feature=related

sunillathwal
January 4th, 2010, 04:27 AM
Happened to see this wonderful documentary on BBC recently by David Attenborough and thought to share it with you all. Not sure if this has already been posted on JL, but its worth to post it again even if it is.

Some of the key points mentioned in documentary are –



These documentaries raise another important question: Why billions of people are hungry... even today !! given that planet earth has enough resources to feed all human beings (... and animals too) !!

Over consumption by so called rich countries ?? Inefficiecient govts (or no govts) in poor countries??

There is UN etc. but how effective these world bodies have been so far in eradicating chronic hunger that is wide-spread in over hundred countries?? It has been a long time (over 64 yrs) since UN was constituted; still hunger-situation has gone worse in some countries. 64 years is longgggg time to put things in order!!

Whats happening here? Has United Nations got its priorities wrong?? Is the whole 'system' being manipulated by rich countries to fit their agendas? i mean u have to give it to them.. they are smart people.. well learned, well-educated and in driver's seat!!
OR
Is it simply impossible to feed all?? [Some humans are destined to die with hunger, malnutrition and easily controllable diseases; while some are born to over-consume, get obese and die anyway :p. just a matter of chance, simple probability theory]

sidchhikara
January 5th, 2010, 01:22 PM
These documentaries raise another important question: Why billions of people are hungry... even today !! given that planet earth has enough resources to feed all human beings (... and animals too) !!

Over consumption by so called rich countries ?? Inefficiecient govts (or no govts) in poor countries??

There is UN etc. but how effective these world bodies have been so far in eradicating chronic hunger that is wide-spread in over hundred countries?? It has been a long time (over 64 yrs) since UN was constituted; still hunger-situation has gone worse in some countries. 64 years is longgggg time to put things in order!!

Whats happening here? Has United Nations got its priorities wrong?? Is the whole 'system' being manipulated by rich countries to fit their agendas? i mean u have to give it to them.. they are smart people.. well learned, well-educated and in driver's seat!!
OR
Is it simply impossible to feed all?? [Some humans are destined to die with hunger, malnutrition and easily controllable diseases; while some are born to over-consume, get obese and die anyway :p. just a matter of chance, simple probability theory]

Leaders of rich countries are no match to our netas. Sab kuchh kha ke satya naash kar diya inne - they "rule" (not serve) with mandate from a poor, illiterate population, who they make sure stays in the same condition. There is no conspiracy theory here .... its quite simple.