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From: HOLSTEGE@SU-SUSHI.ARPA (Mary Holstege)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Population
Message-ID: <12189647597.8.HOLSTEGE@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 10-Mar-86 14:34:07 EST
Article-I.D.: SU-SUSHI.12189647597.8.HOLSTEGE
Posted: Mon Mar 10 14:34:07 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Mar-86 05:44:25 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
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  Sorry to keep up with something not directly relevant to space, but
  Keith is SO misinformed, and I my message to him got bounced.  The
  rest of you will just have to bear with me.

  The human race currently has a doubling time of about 20 years worldwide;
  this has shown no sign of slowing down.  Currently humans consume 
  ** 40 percent ** of the net productivity of the planet.  Multiply it out.
  We're not talking millenia here, nor centuries, but DECADES until we
  have serious problems unless something is done RIGHT NOW.  While
  birth rates have declined where the standard of living has increased,
  we're running against a hard limit on the carrying capacity of the Earth
  here: standards of living are NOT going to improve until there is a
  reduction in the number of human beings in this ecosystem.  The situation
  is made worse by the fact that we are losing arable land at an alarming rate,
  thus reducing the net productivity of the planet.  Going into space may
  well be a long term solution (one reason I'm for it), but we can't sit
  on our hands and wait for that, there just isn't time.  You want to see
  the 21st century?  Take a trip to the Sahel.    -- Mary
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