permaculture

[jamesdavid Sneed <harvestcircle@hotmail.com>]

Is it that there are too many, or that those in "developed" countries take 
such a huge portion of the resources per capita. Until recently, third 
worlders, where population is so often cited (by privileged people of 
european descent) as a problem, were content and effective at feeding 
themselves with simple tools and technologies. The real change came when the 
privileged classes colonized (enslaved) the third world to use their 
resources and labor to support their own creature comforts and inflated 
lifestyles. We're still doing it, and have tantalized the third world with 
enough of our toxic toys that some are willing to participate in or are 
entrapped in a desperate attempt to gain material goods.
Yet, the privileged classes still jet around the world, buy new computers, 
eat food grown far away, and sit atop their tractors while pretending to do 
good for the third world. Reminds me of the missionaries.
> From: toby@patternliteracy.com
> Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 05:50:18 -0700
> To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] Overstep the bounds? was: From TruthOut
> 
> On May 6, 2010, at 11:54 AM, <fdnokes@hotmail.com> <fdnokes@hotmail.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > Do you think we have overstepped the bounds of what is habitable space on 
> > earth?
> > Are we trying to live in too many places that are not supportive enough 
> > of 
> > life?
> 
> No. But the question doesn't get to the real issue. 10,000 years ago there 
> were humans in nearly all of the places that we inhabit now (Antarctica 
> being the main exception). Some of the most fragile places on the 
> planet--the Oz bush, the Kalahari--have had humans in them for 40,000 years 
> or more. 
> 
> The problem is not where we are, it's how many. There are just far, far too 
> many of us in all of those places. Following William Catton in the 1980s 
> classic "Overshoot," I'd say the human carrying capacity of the planet is 
> 500 million people living carelessly (so to speak) or 1-2 billion living 
> very carefully. Since I don't think we are capable of living carefully, at 
> some point we'll reach the lower number. 
> 
> Toby
> http://patternliteracy.com
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subscribe or unsubscribe here:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> More information:
> http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com
> permaculture forums  http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums 
> And: http://www.richsoil.com
                                          
_________________________________________________________________
The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox.
http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_3