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From: sbishop@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Why bother? (was Re: Terraforming, sun shield)
Message-ID: <1991Mar13.091441.2840@desire.wright.edu>
Date: 13 Mar 91 14:14:41 GMT
References: <1991Feb22.164032.16901@zoo.toronto.edu> 
 <1991Mar8.185043.21138@linus.mitre.org> <7573@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> <21320@crg5.UUCP> <64568@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Organization: University Computing Services, Wright State University
Lines: 25

In article <64568@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, arandia@acsu.buffalo.edu (joel d arandia) writes:
> szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) writes:
> 
>>As I pointed out previously, the human race will _not_ expand, because
>>the natural equilibrium population growth rate with reliable birth control 
>>is c. -50% per generation.  This is regardless of any technology except
>>that related to radically reducing the costs of having children in terms of
>>money and women's health.  
> 
> 	Why?  In the future, why would people only be allowed to have only 
> 2 or less children?  Why not expand?  It's obvious that the earth's resources
> are limited.  We can't keep 5 billion here forever.  I hope between now and 
> forever, we'll have migrated into space.  What's this with conservation?
> Expand!  Explore!  Exploit!  Come on!  The only way to go now is to go up!
> The whole history of the human race is about expansion.  Why stop now?
> 
> 						Joel D. Arandia
> 						arandia@acsu.buffalo.edu

Because at the rate we are increasing we will reach 10 billion in the very near
future.  As it is, we are seriously straining the environment with FIVE
billion.  The rain forest (the lungs of the world) is rapidly disappearing, the
pollution in our cities is reaching crisis level and people are starving in
many of the third world countries...  
Migration to space is too far in the future and too limited to do any good.