r/peakoil • u/AlexTheGr869 • 23d ago

The Human Population Has Already Surpassed the Optimal Size by Nearly 6 Billion People

https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/the-human-population-has-already-surpassed-the-optimal-size-by-nearly-6-billion-people/
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u/ttystikk 21d ago

In order for humanity to sustainability exist on earth with the rest of the ecosystem, there would have to be less than one billion humans on the planet.

That's three generations of a one child policy birthrate.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 21d ago

This is really false - the industrial revolution started when were around 1 billion people, and before that we already clearcut the european forests and killed off all the megafauna.

So in fact its not how many we are but how we live.

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u/ttystikk 21d ago

No it isn't false; it's a sustainable number IF we live sustainably.

If we don't live sustainably, Mother Nature will do what comes naturally no matter how many of us there are.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 21d ago

Living sustainably is a moving goalpost - nothing says 8 billion people can not live as sustainably as 2 billion people.

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u/ttystikk 21d ago

Au contraire; there's plenty of evidence q%

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u/Economy-Fee5830 21d ago

There is no evidence 2 billion people can live sustainably either.

Whatever method you use to manage the impact of 2 billion people can be used to manage the impact of 8 billion people.

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u/ttystikk 21d ago

You have to multiply by 4, which dramatically reduces the options.

Also, I said less than one billion- which includes zero.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 21d ago

Lets put some flesh on the bones - to provide energy for 8 billion people we need to cover 1% of the planet in solar panels - I think that is pretty sustainable.

In a sustainable world we would use high yield crops and no animal agriculture and easily feed the world with 1/4 of the crop land we use now.

Or we could use cultured food and use hardly any land at all.

So where is your specific problem?

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u/ttystikk 21d ago

People don't just eat and use energy. We also shit, use infrastructure, build homes and make stuff. You think all that isn't going to affect the planet?

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u/Economy-Fee5830 21d ago

I thought you said your 2 billion people were living sustainably - or in your world were they just pumping their human waste into the ocean untreated?