One astute commentor, paddler scottb, replied:
"In our lifetime the human population will double again. It's all about ovaries and testicles."
I added: "It's the wealthy that can afford places that push into the wilds, just as Wm Flagler did for Florida. An apartment building for the "average joe" won't be erected on a pristine beach, or upper WI, or northern Maine first.... first it's those that can afford it, pushing into uncharted territory and laying waterways, electricity, sewers, followed by those with lesser means, and finally those will the least means. It is not economics so much as it is population overgrowth. Understand this--all areas, such as the Maine backwoods, may have legislation now to block buidling, but as we are a country that votes, eventually those that want to develop will win over those that do not--it's a population growth characteristic. The world population is doubling exponentially now, making water and food scarce, with future energy crisis, and land crisis just around the corner.
http://tinyurl.com/yzmpblw
Click "Show Rates"
http://tinyurl.com/ygp75mm
Link above to wolframalpha shows: world pop. now 6.67 billion. World population 1990 (less than 20 years ago)= 5.32 billion. That's an increase of 25% in 20 years! Explosive growth considering the many millennia that man has been on Earth. Why? Births yearly 131 million. Deaths yearly 57 million. You do the math. The world as we know it--the loveable locations of our youth--are bye bye.
Don't poop on the wealthy buying the McMansions who are trading a giant carbon footprint in the city for one in the undeveloped lakelands (i.e. no net change in carbon balance)--do poop on any one individual on Earth having more than one child, as they (the three or more kid families; thanks John & Kate and Octomom!) are the real global villains. Some say divorce is one reason for population boom--no monogamy, just many kids with multiple mates--but that's a fun subject for another forum.
Enjoy your seclusion and nature wherever you can get it now; our kid's kids will have much less of it, and our great great great grandchildren will have none and will struggle to survive. When the land is used up (yes, people all over WI and Maine, and for that matter, northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, etc.), then disease and famine will become rampant (cancer is a great equilizer of populations; population overgrowth is historically followed by a raise in cancer rates from environmental causes), putting at closer to neutral the birth-death ratio each year. Pregnacy rates will diminish due to adult generalized illness, and the world balance will be restruck. Albeit, it'll be an impoverished and disease ridden world, much like Ethiopia across every square mile of inhabitable Earth... algae in the water and building a condo over your old favorite malt shoppe will be the least of the concerns.
John & Kate and the woman that had 18 kids grab headlines and million-dollar reality show contracts because John Q Public applauds these population criminals, and we poop on the McMansion owners? Venom is misdirected.
It's over, people. The fat lady--who will soon be skinny--sings.
Oh, by the way, may everyone have a joyous and warm holiday season with your extended families. Happy 2010. Live long and prosper."
That was my reply on Pnet Forum. As above, I always close with a sweet sentiment, because that's the kind of guy I am; a real "cheer upper" type. My post was not a popular one, but hey, I'll have a few billion more people to help me make my case in 20 years.
A very interesting link here--it's very intriguing on wikipedia. Man, China and India together alone have about 1.2 the world population!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
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