Parrots Are NOT Pets

[marie83]

Whilst I get what your saying waste and consumption is only part of the problem. These new lives go on to want big homes, wide screen tvs, the latest ipads, playstations etc. Taking away peoples luxuries will go down as well as people being limited to 1-2 children. More people require more land for food farming purposes, even with a population drop the land will still be cleared for fuel etc. It simply is no longer enough to reduce waste and consumption without the population drop to go with it. We needed such changes years ago but even if those changes happen now I think the best we can hope for is to slow down our travel along the self destructive path we are currently following.
If all human life was wiped out today then the planet would stand a much better chance and may even make a near full recovery with animals adapting and evolving, nature will be able to get on with what it was meant to do.

[pionus]

Khaiqha wrote:

I don't see why only the rich should get to have children

where did you get this idea?

marie83 wrote:

If all human life was wiped out today then the planet would stand a much better chance and may even make a near full recovery with animals adapting and evolving, nature will be able to get on with what it was meant to do.

i can only dream............

[friend2parrots]

the "decline in the human population" article that Khaiqua posted does provide a new perspective on the whole human overpopulation issue that I have never heard before, and is worth reading.

i think quality education for every single person living on the planet and eliminating world poverty is something we as a planet should strive for, and it will also solve the population puzzle. and we do need to reevaluate our consumer driven values that drives our materialistic culture.

and although humans may have wreaked havoc on the planet over the past 2.5 million years, since we became hominids, I think we are a great species, and I'm quite proud of a lot of things humans have achieved over the millions of years, as frail mortal beings with tiny lifespans. I'm proud of us as a species, even though we have made a lot of mistakes along the way. I think if humans really tried, using their vast brain power with the right values, they could solve the problems were facing on the planet.

[CaitlinRice413]

[cml]

This forum means a lot to me and I don't like having a sense of reluctance to post sometimes because I don't want to be judged. So that's my personal reason for making the comment about moderators.

I agree with you (this forum means alot to me as well), but to me having moderators that removed anything less than spam or personal insults would mean that I would be leaving this forum. Debate is healthy, and even if I am not participating in this particular topic, having someone censoring it would mean I would say good bye to this forum the same instant I noticed it.

Ive seen forums die or become battlegrounds for powerhungry moderators that ban, censor or threaten ordinary members to get their opinion across. For that reason I am dead-set against it. In such a forum culture, people are alot more reluctant to post, let me assure you, because; who would want to feel the wrath of the uber-moderators (that might have a different opionion than you)?

This forum works well, Michael clears out the spam and, afaik, only personal attacks and the like.
Thats just the way it should be imo.

[Khaiqha]

I think you are thinking the article says more than it does. It does not state that a dog has an overall larger impact on the environment than a human does. What it does say is that dogs eat meat, and the meat necessary to feed a medium sized person uses more resources to raise than the diet of an average Vietnamese person in 1994. If we wanted to be save the planet we should be trying to convince people to go vegetarian.

Also, yes, people spend money on themselves. My question, this entire time, is why don't we tell people to waste less, use less, use greener tech, etc. One person can cause more environmental harm than five children, depending on their lifestyles. Why would I force Vietnamese people to only have one child, when their entire family unit has a smaller eco-print than me alone? Why would I limit someone else's family size when I am unwilling to limit my own consumption? It's punishing other people for the things I want. I find it just as awful for people with a ton of pets to tell others to limit their family size.

And randomly, here is an article talking about an entire generation of people born under the One Child policy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20976432

[pennyandrocky]

i don't think it should be a one child limit but it is way too easy for the wrong people to have as many as they want. 2 examples are people i know personally. my sister-in-law has 5 children by 3 different donors who have do nothing to support these children.if she had to explain herself after having the 2nd child and needing state assistance maybe she would have put more thought into having 3 more.my brother's ex also has 5 children with 2 donors, 2 with my brother because the first has cystic fybrosis she was hoping the 2nd would too since my niece gets a check.my nephew does have an eye problem inherited from my brother.my brother had surgery to correct this eye problem 30+ years ago but his ex won't sign the papers because my nephew gets a check for this disability.the 5th is by a drunk/pothead who she lives with and neither of them work.

[GreenWing]

the "decline in the human population" article that Khaiqua posted does provide a new perspective on the whole human overpopulation issue that I have never heard before, and is worth reading.

i think quality education for every single person living on the planet and eliminating world poverty is something we as a planet should strive for, and it will also solve the population puzzle. and we do need to reevaluate our consumer driven values that drives our materialistic culture.

and although humans may have wreaked havoc on the planet over the past 2.5 million years, since we became hominids, I think we are a great species, and I'm quite proud of a lot of things humans have achieved over the millions of years, as frail mortal beings with tiny lifespans. I'm proud of us as a species, even though we have made a lot of mistakes along the way. I think if humans really tried, using their vast brain power with the right values, they could solve the problems were facing on the planet.

I agree with this. Along the way, certain things have happened, including greed, that have really messed things up for Mother Earth (and ourselves). Viruses and bacteria are basically the Earth's White Blood cells... the planet can only handle so much of a growing world population before Nature strikes back and slaps us across the face with plague and disease.

I have hope that we can utilize science and use it smartly -- better than we have in the past -- for a better planet... and leave room for nature.

I realize some people are religious, but I find it incredible that we are all connected... as Neil deGrasse Tyson has said, "to each other, biologically, to the Earth, chemically, to the rest of the Universe, atomically." We literally rose from the Earth, and billions of years later, here we now are, damaging the planet which essentially gave birth to life itself, and I can almost feel the planet screaming. What's done is done, but science is our tool to make things right.

Why do people even need to have more than one, two kids anyway? I mean, is there even a need?

[pionus]

Greenwing wrote:

Why do people even need to have more than one, two kids anyway? I mean, is there even a need?

there is no need. only want. image. must look like good mother.

btw i'm not bashing people with multiple children.

[GreenWing]

btw i'm not bashing people with multiple children.

Just for the record I'm not either; I am genuinely curious (example: I know someone personally who has a lot of kids and they're miserable). In an attempt to answer my own question, it's probably what you're hinting at: societal pressure, family pressure, lack of birth control, religious reasons, etc.