Dr. Albert Bartlett and the Dangers of Overpopulation

Albert Bartlett, retired Professor of Physics from the University of Colorado in Boulder, examines the arithmetic of steady growth, continued over longer periods of time, in a finite environment. By applying simple mathematic formulas to real-world problems, Dr. Bartlett exposes the inconvenient truth behind our world population growth and exponentially increasing resource consumption.

Corrupt journalist Frank Azzurro caught up with Dr. Bartlett over phone to discuss the population and energy problems humanity faces today.

Video producer: Anton Rays

http://www.corrupt.org/radio/albert_bartlett

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• albert
• bartlett
• overpopulation
• overconsumption
• ecocide
• oil
• petroleum
• environmentalism
• ecofascism
• exponential

[nino17azteca]

this video doesn't suggest any solutions.

[nino17azteca]

If you don't like to live and want to do the earth a favor, stop breathing. This old geezard should effectively do the earth a favor. Its that simple people.

[Alexopolux]

@andy765gtr I agree. In fact "we" never stopped wars for resources – there are right now three of them going on for the same reason and causing the financial meltdown we have, reinforcing social conflict. These are long causal chains that most of people don’t see. Yes, it is going to get nastier. But that is my point, things are a little more complicated than just the overpopulation problem as your posts also correctly indicated. Many thanks.

[andy765gtr]

@Alexopolux because that is all it achieved up to 1800 (after 1000s of yrs of insignificant rise). population spiked immediately after this point, suggesting if those artificial conditions disappeared (of abundant, high eroi energy) that is what it would return to.

but its even worse. what you must also consider damage wrought by industry and overshoot pressure, and lost skill sets, (and forthcoming wars for resources), will have REDUCED natural capacity for man far below that of 1800

[Alexopolux]

@andy765gtr I just saw the latest population data sheet, but it goes just until 2024. Recall that fertility rates are (slowly) declining, we cannot have a sudden decrease in populations that are growing since the bubonic pest! Check out my former exchange with flamifer1, I believe the most urgent problem is overconsumption (also recognized by Paul Ehrlich). Please give me the source of carrying capacity = 1 billion. And yes! the steady state economy. I am writing now something about it!

[andy765gtr]

@Alexopolux but we have closely follow growth predictions. our doubling occurs in the exact mathematical progression as described by bartlet here, and is nothing different from other blooms. but as population blooms (on finite resources) are always followed by crashes well below carrying capacity (1 billion), there is no reason to expect humans not to follow that rule either. we do everything in our power not to create a steady state economy, making an eventual major crash a certainty.

[Alexopolux]

@andy765gtr Yes. we humans are not perfectly predictable beings we also read the books that "predict" something affecting our behavior, hence making predictions invalid. Even Malthus softened his "principle" years later ("ecologists" did not exist at that time). Industrialisation (and Malthus) produced a social movement that was active roughly between 1850-1930 in Europe, the US and latin america - different from top down eugenics. It contributed to the low fertility rates we have now in Europe.

[flamifer1]

True. Austria has the strictest food production rules in the world and food quality is controlled even stricter. The import of meat from the United States was prohibited for health risks. It is one of the few countries which never had a single case of mad cow desease. Huge chicken or pig farms like in the US are not allowed. Animal transportation is severely restricted to short distances. Medicaments are not allowed in food for animals. And food prices are low. (Well, hamburgers are expensive)

[flamifer1]

@andy765gtr

Likewise. Thank you.

[andy765gtr]

@flamifer1 true, everyone will blame everyone else, not realizing it was a process set in motion with the 19th century when they started using fossil fuels to boost the economy and stimulating population growth. with no corresponding homeostatic control mechanism to keep things in check, things were always going to get nasty. malthus explained population dynamics, backed entirely by ecologists, so we have no excuses for not knowing. its nice (and rare) to actually agree with someone on here.