Reply #32: Have you considered peak oil, water resources, etc? [View All]

[bhikkhu]

There are strong arguments that the "resource problem" is in the long term entirely one of quantity, and therefore population is entirely the problem. If you consider the simplest take on the peak oil problem, the population spike that cheap oil energy has fueled over the last two hundred years or so must either find another source of fuel (any suggestions?) or collapse. Collapse is one word, the playing out of which I cannot myself imagine.

Fresh water is another pertinent problem - there simply isn't enough. We might say that distribution is the issue: if only we could ship that sea ice to central africa and other water-poor regions things would be fine. We might also say that new energy sources could power water refineries, and the Sea would be the limit. But then again, if we haven't the energy resources to replace oil, how will we boost energy supply sufficiently to add massive water refining to the demand-list?

Perhaps you have a different perspective on these problems, I am curious.