From: Michael S. Lorrey (retroman@turbont.net)
Date: Sat Mar 25 2000 - 22:47:34 MST
"Robert J. Bradbury" wrote:
>
> On Sat, 25 Mar 2000, Michael S. Lorrey wrote:
>
> > This is totally ignoring the possibility that those areas may shift
> > into the 'more developed' category by that point in time, and it is
> > based entirely on current population trends, ignoring possible future
> > shifts.
> >
>
> I find all population predictions past ~2020 void of any possible content.
> Why? Because biotech will have totally altered the methods and cost basis
> of food production (making food much cheaper). Secondly, biotech and
> medical devices will be making significant (increments of decades)
> extensions in life-expectancy, so the whole "death" part of the
> equation comes unglued. Things like the WWW will be driving these
> technologies into the less affluent countries.
>
> If nanotech and the singularity arrive by then, clearly all bets are off.
>
> >
> > The idea that the most population unfreindly places could systain a 100%
> > increase in population is so ludicrous on its face it is obviously based
> > on false or icomplete premises.
> >
>
> Not really, the problem is with the term "unfriendly". I've visited
> Pakistan, India and Thailand, all rather populous countries slated
> for big increases. I see absolutely no problem with the possibility
> of those countries sustaining 100% increases. Africa, with the
> exception of regions around the Sahara, could easily support increases
> of that magnitude because it is a very resource rich continent.
Most of the problems are do do with a) distribution, and b) political
manipulation of food supplies. Thus, the leadership in these countries
needs a serious brain enema.
>
> As documented by Willy Ley in "Engineer's Dreams" (1954), originally
> conceived by Herman Sorgel (in 1935), it is possible to dam the
> Congo river and make much more of Africa habitable. The dam
> would produce a large "Congo Lake" in central Africa, then
> eventually overflow and create a "Chad Sea" where the Sahara
> is now located. If the polticial obstacles to this could
> be overcome, you could support many, many more people in Africa
> than live there today.
Another biggie is to simply blow open the small barrier between the
Great
Rift Valley and the Red Sea. Sure some million year old fossils will get
buried, but the expansion in mariculture would be huge.
>
> He also documents, that you could dam the Strait of Gibralter,
> allow some of the Mediterannean to evaporate and expand the coastlines
> of all of the countries around that region.
>
> Robert
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