Geography 1500F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Overconsumption, Natural Capital, Ecosystem Services
16 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
In the last several centuries we"ve increasingly been using power to deplete the natural capital of earth. People, especially politicians and business exes, are under the delusion that such a disastrous end to the modern human enterprise can be avoided by technological fixes that will allow the population and the economy to grow forever. If we fail to bring population growth and overconsumption under control, then we will inhabit a planet where life becomes increasingly untenable. A rough estimate of how much humanity is degrading the ecosystem services it depends upon. Two billion rich people disrupt the climate more than two billion poor people. Switching to ultra-light, fuel-efficient cars will obviously give some short-term advantage, but doesn"t solve the problem as population and consumption grow. There is no technological change we can make that will permit growth in either human numbers or material affluence to continue to expand. Drill wells deeper, or tap increasingly remote sources to obtain water.
