McKibben's "Eaarth" Podcast

Bill McKibben's "Eaarth" podcast focuses on how the world today differs from life less than a century ago. People today live on a different planet than the one rotating the sun when these same individuals were born. McKibben believes the Earth has hit the limit on growth and this excessive development is the root of many problems evident today. Everything has become very global and connected, as opposed to the localized lifestyle lived by humans only decades ago. McKibben asserts that society needs to regress, slow down, and find stability and solidity.

Overpopulation

            The Earth today has more people than ever before. With our population at just over seven billion and growing, it’s no wonder our planet is so overcrowded. In addition to the spatial issue, overpopulation is the cause of many other problems in the world.  Overconsumption, energy conservation, carbon dioxide emissions, and dwindling freshwater resources are just a few of the issues overpopulation creates. Dr. Charles A. Hall, a systems ecologist, expressed his belief that if overpopulation could be solved, so could virtually every over environmental concern. “Overpopulation is the only problem,” says Hall, “If we had 100 million people on Earth – or better, 10 million – no others would be a problem.”

            In Nash’s Island Civilization solution to the world’s environmental crisis, he concludes that the Earth’s population be drastically reduced to about a quarter of its current size, or 1.5 billion people total. While figure is still 15x the maximum number of people in Dr. Hall’s ideal world, it is still far less than the amount we have today, and its positive effects on our planet would certainly be noticeable.

Due to the fact that nearly every environmental issue present today is a result from human interference in nature, it only makes sense that less people would equal fewer problems. Take pollution for example; pollution is a direct result of human introduction of harmful substances into new environments. With a reduction in population comes a decline in pollution. While this may not bring pollution to a halt, it will improve the problem and allow us to better control and maintain the land, water, and air.  Keep in mind, however, that pollution is only one of the numerous environmental problems that can be resolved by population decrease. Most of nature’s issues result from the relatively recent surge in population growth.

Nash’s proposal for population shrinkage and human containment instead of nature also grants our Earth a chance to recover. Overpopulation is a problem worldwide, but it has been particularly an issue for China. Since China adapted its one-child policy in 1979, authorities claim to have prevented up to 400 million births. This amount is still nothing compared to Nash’s limit of 1.5 billion people, but China is already seeing recovery in their environmental resources. China can be seen as a small trial of Nash’s Island Civilization proposal but without the human-nature barrier. After researching the positive impact China’s population decrease has had on the environment, I believe that Island Civilization can essentially solve our world’s environmental crisis.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090418075752.htm

Island Civilization

Since the beginning of time, humanity has been able to live in harmony with nature. It wasn’t until recently that the health of the environment became a major concern. The Industrial Revolution brought a wave of new innovations that came with one major downside: pollution. It took years for humans to realize the negative effects of the Revolution. Even now that we have discovered them, only a small population feels compelled to solve the problem. It’s human nature to want to expand and improve, no matter what the cost. Many people don’t think about how the destruction of the environment now can affect the future. I believe Island Civilization can never work because people are too selfish to care about what could happen to the environment if we don’t make changes now. An Island Civilization is the exact opposite of the expansion we have experienced throughout history. From the Crusaders to the Roman Empire and from exploring the great New World now known as North America to the idea of Manifest Destiny, humans have had the need to conquer and take over.

Another problem is the recent increase in the world’s population. The more people inhabiting the earth, the more nature is destroyed to make extra room. I think that unless our society can work as a team and start doing more to save the environment, the outcome will be similar to Nash’s wasteland scenario. However, as shown in human history, I believe the human race will never be able to agree on a way to preserve nature, only further destroy it. Nash’s Island Civilization is ideal in theory, but it could never work in practice.

The combination of the world’s population growth and man-made pollution have made it is difficult to ignore its effect on the Earth. In fact, the growth in population has played a huge role in the recent concern for our Earth’s well being in the future.  Humans are now realizing that every aspect of our lives can change the future health of the environment.  The usage of our Earth’s minimal water supply, the way we use gas and coal verses water, wind, and solar energy, and how people continue to ignore recycling on a regular basis all can determine the fate of our environment.  Due to the fact the population in increasing, it is becoming increasingly difficult to apply healthy and earth friendly changes in our lives.  As the human race adds up, it is harder for humanity to keep our planet in good shape and promise the safety of our survival instead of extinction.

Although we are trying to improve our environment, we will never be able to accomplish an Island Civilization unless everybody contributes.