2. Problem: People Reproduce There are a LOT of people. One of peopleâs favorite things to do is to make more people.
3. Problem: People Consume Everyone likes to be comfortable. People donât want to give things up.
4.
5. Problem: Resources are Finite We donât have unlimited energy (yet) We donât have unlimited room.
6. Myth: âSustainable Growthâ There is NO SUCH THING as global sustainable growth! We only have so much stuff! We can be sustainable, but not grow; or grow and not be sustainable.
10. Our own worst enemy⊠In 2005, global carbon emissions were 29 billion metric tons. Since then, weâve added 363 million people. Thatâs another 1.6 billion metric tons of carbon.
12. It gets worse⊠If everyone consumed as much as the US did⊠Carbon emissions would be at 134 billion tons/year. Yeah, thatâs not going to work for longâŠ
13. What Are Our Options? Decrease consumption to match growth. Right, thatâll work. Stop making more people. Doesnât seem very likely. Door #3? (goat not included)
14. Leaving the Cradle Thereâs a LOT of room in space. Thereâs a LOT of energy in space. This sounds promisingâŠ
15. Benefits of Space Travel Water Filters, Smoke Detectors, Cordless Drills Lots of other technology Itâs hard to predict what will come out of an investment in space. Could you have predicted the Internet? If so, do you want to start a company?
16. More Benefits Colonies need to be sustainable. Reusing water, soil, air Energy efficient Maybe we could use this on Earth, too? Better solar panels Better soil/water reclamation
17. Itâs Sustainable! Offset population growth by emigration off-planet. More resources to support a larger population Abundant energy (THE SUN!) Fewer anthropogenic environmental concerns.
18. Colonies, or Off-site Backup Off-planet colonies decrease the chance of us going the way of the dinosaurs. Even if we do something phenomenally stupidâŠ
19. One small step⊠We have the technology Well, some of it. Space Stations Weâve got one already, we need more, lots more. Rocket Ships More X-Prizes! Robots We always need robots.
20. Quick Recap Weâre running out of EVERYTHING (except people) Sending ONE person into space saves 20 tons of carbon/year. Space-related technologies are AWESOME Space exploration is sustainable
21. What can you do? Tell your kids to be astronauts!
Hinweis der Redaktion
Population growth is serious business. Weâll hit 7 billion in 2013, 8 billion in 2028, 9 billion in 2048. Thereâs no end in sight.
Once people grow accustomed to the comforts afforded by technology, they donât want to go back.
âThe Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle foreverâ âKonstantin Tsiolkovsky
