Convergence of Bubbles
We are not leaving much of a future for young people. They are facing a host of bubbles that are poised to converge into a bigger and devastating giant bubble unless we take action soon.
The biggest and most problematic bubble is overpopulation and it is one that not easily solvable in a short period of time. If you think that reducing the reproduction rate will solve the problem, think again. The below graph shows the increase in population since 1750 with an overlay of the net growth (births minus deaths) rate. You would think that lowering the birth rate would immediately lower or stabilize but that is not the case. As one couple reproduce just one child, there are now three souls in the world. When that child marries and reproduce one child, on the one person’s side there are now four living people. Even at this low rate, the population will continue to grow until the first generation dies off, and this will take 40 to 60 years.
Obviously there are a lot more variables in the population growth rate, age of reproduction, the possibility of pandemics, war, etc, but population growth will more or less follow this crude scenario.
In the best of all possible worlds, waiting 50 years for the population to decrease would not be a big deal. But unfortunately we have other bubbles that are ready to burst.
Climate Change
This graph from NASA shows ice core samples of CO2 levels from different periods of time. Yes there have been fluctuations of CO2 levels which have been responsible for ice ages and warming spells in the past, but the current level of CO2 has been skyrocketing since the beginning of the industrial age trapping more and more solar heat. There will be more extreme weather, floods, hurricanes, extreme heat and warming oceans. In fact we are already seeing this.
Resource Depletion
It takes oil and metals to drive our modern world. We have already picked all of the low hanging fruit and it is now harder and more expensive to get more of these resources. I recommend reading this article by The Honest Sorcerer:
It is lunacy to think that we can continue to extract resources in perpetuity. The only reasonable action now is to limit our use of these resources. Which brings us to another bubble that needs popping.
Over Consumerism
There is no doubt that over-consumerism is a major contributor to our global problems. With the advent of the internet it has been easier to satisfy our individual wants, never mind that all this consumerism contributes to climate change. This includes not only the products produced but also the transportation of goods, both domestically and internationally made. Thousands of planes and ships crossing the ocean, semi trailers on our highways and then tens of thousands UPS trucks delivering goods to their destination.
This graph is in 2017 dollars:
But in spite of the dramatic increase of overall individual spending we are beginning to see a change in how we are spending our money. More of our disponible income is going to basic needs and less to luxuries. We are being squeezed by the banking, energy and health care industries.
Destruction of the Natural World
Just like oil and coal we have reached the end of our abuse of nature. Populations of other living creatures have declined drastically. Tunas have declined to 10% of their previous population and other animals are following this trend, many disappearing entirely. Up until 1970 car trips always ended up with the windshield splattered with hundreds of insects. Now nothing or very little. Much of this can be explained by the overuse of pesticides. Without insects we will definitely be in trouble as they are major pollinators of the food we consume.
All of these bubbles are interconnected and they present us with an extremely complicated conundrum. We will not receive help in addressing all of these problems from the morbidly rich individuals and their political enablers who profit from us. Societies have always taken the form of an oppressed majority living under the control of an oppressive minority. It will take a concerted effort on all of our parts to make drastic changes in changing our collision course with what seems to be an unhappy ending. We can’t ignore the reality of what’s coming.