Author Topic: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures  (Read 6836 times)


southernhippie

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2015, 07:36:13 AM »
wow.

the surfer in the garbage wave was what really took me off guard

PJSparkles360

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2015, 07:36:58 AM »
I can't get over the picture of the bird. My goodness, it never ceases to amaze me how much consumerism has taxed our natural resources.

TheThirstyStag

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2015, 08:46:54 AM »
My gosh...

TheAnonOne

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2015, 10:29:16 AM »
Where and when were these photos taken?

Shocking? Sure! Bad and generally disgusting? Sure again!

However, if I had to guess (if you REALLY prodded me...) I would say some sort of 3rd world country.

Trash, plastics, and 'over consumption' are bad things, sure, but the shocking thing here is mostly lack of urban planning and proper trash disposal.

RFAAOATB

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2015, 10:48:57 AM »
Perhaps we should institute a global one child policy until the population gets to a sustainable level with an acceptably luxurious standard of living for all.

Geostache

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2015, 11:05:32 AM »
Where and when were these photos taken?

Shocking? Sure! Bad and generally disgusting? Sure again!

However, if I had to guess (if you REALLY prodded me...) I would say some sort of 3rd world country.

Trash, plastics, and 'over consumption' are bad things, sure, but the shocking thing here is mostly lack of urban planning and proper trash disposal.

The captions for each of the pictures explains their locations. The picture with the bird is from Midway Atoll, which is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and an unincorporated US territory. Sea birds can travel thousands of miles to fish, but there are great vortices of trash and plastic swirling in the oceans, carried from all around the globe: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/?ar_a=1


Some of the pictures are from 3rd world countries, but some were taken right here in the US.

[Unrelated: Really, spell check? You don't know the word vortices?]

Joshin

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2015, 12:17:55 PM »
Where and when were these photos taken?

Shocking? Sure! Bad and generally disgusting? Sure again!

However, if I had to guess (if you REALLY prodded me...) I would say some sort of 3rd world country.

Trash, plastics, and 'over consumption' are bad things, sure, but the shocking thing here is mostly lack of urban planning and proper trash disposal.

Your post makes me feel kind of icky. It reads to me like, "No way we are to blame, let's blame those schmucks over there because there is no way they are as civilized as we are!"

Urban planning and "proper" trash disposal is something that the US, as a first world country, woefully sucks at. Much of our trash does end up in the oceans. There are only so many places to bury it. In the end, it has very little to do with proper disposal, and everything to do with over-consumption. Generally, first world countries are the the main problem when it comes to over-consumption, so we are a major cause of the problem and we need to suck it up and change our habits.



Mississippi Mudstache

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2015, 12:29:42 PM »
The last picture, supposedly of "industrial forestry degrading public lands" made me chuckle. It's obvious that the stumps are about 100 years old, located on the site of a lake that has recently been drained. Also the "British Columbia clear-cut", while not attractive (clearcuts never are) is actually an example of a well-executed clearcut. The roads were laid out well, the site was properly covered with limbs and foliage to minimize erosion, and there's no rutting on the hillsides. In 10 years, evidence of the clearcut will be minimal, and there will be another fine stand of timber growing there.

RFAAOATB

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2015, 12:39:02 PM »
Generally, first world countries are the the main problem when it comes to over-consumption, so we are a major cause of the problem and we need to suck it up and change our habits.

Generally, third world countries are the main problem when it comes to over-population.  If the choice comes down to 1 billion people living on a first world consumption rate or 15 billion people living on a third world consumption rate, I'd take the low population high consumption world.  As it is we have 7 billion people with pockets of overpopulation and overconsumption so its a lot easier to blame the others.

Travis

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2015, 01:06:09 PM »
The last picture, supposedly of "industrial forestry degrading public lands" made me chuckle. It's obvious that the stumps are about 100 years old, located on the site of a lake that has recently been drained. Also the "British Columbia clear-cut", while not attractive (clearcuts never are) is actually an example of a well-executed clearcut. The roads were laid out well, the site was properly covered with limbs and foliage to minimize erosion, and there's no rutting on the hillsides. In 10 years, evidence of the clearcut will be minimal, and there will be another fine stand of timber growing there.

Up here in the PNW, you can drive through the forests and pass huge signs on the road that flat out tell you in which order a particular section of the forest will be cut down and replanted.  I didn't even know there was such a thing as "crop rotation" for the logging industry until I saw the signs.

Joshin

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2015, 02:46:01 PM »
Generally, first world countries are the the main problem when it comes to over-consumption, so we are a major cause of the problem and we need to suck it up and change our habits.

Generally, third world countries are the main problem when it comes to over-population.  If the choice comes down to 1 billion people living on a first world consumption rate or 15 billion people living on a third world consumption rate, I'd take the low population high consumption world.  As it is we have 7 billion people with pockets of overpopulation and overconsumption so its a lot easier to blame the others.

Both over-population and over-consumption are the issue. It's the "let's blame the other guy" thing that gets me.

Hell, as long as not all 7 billion of us are consuming K-cups at the same rate as my mom, there may be hope for the planet yet...

Kris

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2015, 05:34:28 PM »
Where and when were these photos taken?

Shocking? Sure! Bad and generally disgusting? Sure again!

However, if I had to guess (if you REALLY prodded me...) I would say some sort of 3rd world country.

Trash, plastics, and 'over consumption' are bad things, sure, but the shocking thing here is mostly lack of urban planning and proper trash disposal.

Your post makes me feel kind of icky. It reads to me like, "No way we are to blame, let's blame those schmucks over there because there is no way they are as civilized as we are!"

Urban planning and "proper" trash disposal is something that the US, as a first world country, woefully sucks at. Much of our trash does end up in the oceans. There are only so many places to bury it. In the end, it has very little to do with proper disposal, and everything to do with over-consumption. Generally, first world countries are the the main problem when it comes to over-consumption, so we are a major cause of the problem and we need to suck it up and change our habits.

Not to mention that the US basically invented the disposable lifestyle and exported it all over the world in the first place.

solon

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2015, 05:48:28 PM »
The last picture, supposedly of "industrial forestry degrading public lands" made me chuckle. It's obvious that the stumps are about 100 years old, located on the site of a lake that has recently been drained. Also the "British Columbia clear-cut", while not attractive (clearcuts never are) is actually an example of a well-executed clearcut. The roads were laid out well, the site was properly covered with limbs and foliage to minimize erosion, and there's no rutting on the hillsides. In 10 years, evidence of the clearcut will be minimal, and there will be another fine stand of timber growing there.

Yeah, these pictures only tell one half of the story, if that much. There is always more to a story than the guy with the ax to grind wants you to know.

kathrynd

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2015, 06:21:37 PM »
If we could bring back tariffs, so we can get rid of all this cheap disposable China crap, we would all be better off.
It would reduce all this garbage, it will never eliminate it.

Look at your own weekly household rubbish.
How much could actually be reduced, reused and recycled?
I know I could do a lot better.

I bet most people here could go a year without buying anything new (not talking about food)
You all have enough clothes, dishes, furniture etc.
You may 'want' more.
We rarely buy anything new, instead buy second hand.



dude

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Re: Over population and Overconsumption in Pictures
« Reply #15 on: April 03, 2015, 06:37:09 AM »
Reminds me of the movie "Koyaanisqatsi" (Life Out Of Balance).  That was in 1982 -- and it hasn't done a damn thing to raise peoples' consciousness.  No, unfortunately, the hedonic adaptation of which MMM often speaks works to immunize us from the sad changes taking place in our surroundings.  In short, we adapt.  Having never known the days of Long Island Sound waters teeming with oysters, George's Bank fisheries so plentiful they seemed inexhaustible, Cape Cod waters actually, well, laden with cod -- we simple accept the hollow shell of what's left as the norm.  50 years from now, when even the "garbage fish" are gone, and the waters are lifeless, our successors will shrug it off and adapt to that as the norm as well.  Terribly sad.