The decade according to 9yr olds

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Species have to adapt to short-term change too, or there would be nothing alive on this planet. Natural disaster, global catastrophe, and disease are all things that take place on a tiny timescale that species had to adapt to.

It is tragic, but it is what it is. Humanity cannot grow while protecting everything that they need. If we don't get wiped out ourselves, we will eventually pave over every square inch of terrain on this planet and wipe out 99% of all species. There are too many species that cannot reproduce in captivity and we will need the land. This is part of the evolution of a planet that sustains intelligent life. A path towards a singularity.

The ones that are well adapted will thrive (dogs, cats, rats, birds, roaches, disease) and the rest will die. This planet doesn't have room for large animals that have 1-2 square miles of territory for each of their males. The poor nations which these animals live in don't care about protecting the environment. The entire western world got to ravage its natural resources to become wealthy, and now we tell those poor nations that they are not allowed to do the same.

I'm all for sustainability, but nothing will change until push comes to shove.

Have you heard of carrying capacity? It is the ability of a given environment to sustain a particular organism. The carrying capacity of the earth for humans who live like we do is about 3 billion people - food and fresh water supplies are fully exploited, the oil is half gone, and yet we premise an entire global social system on INFINITE GROWTH. That is an impossibility and an absurdity on a finite planet with limited resources.

Species that exceed their carrying capacity in an environment inevitably experience a population crash which reduces the population below the environment's carrying capacity. As our population bumps up against the limits of the earth (fresh water, healthy soil, healthy fisheries, balanced carbon cycle, energy supply), we will experience your "push comes to shove", and it will be ugly for all but the rich.

BTW, I do not advocate telling poor nations not to develop, I advocate rich nations transitioning to green economies as quickly as possible (because we can afford to if we can get over our collective greed) and helping poor nations to develop along green pathways. That will be the foundation of the next economic boom if only the vested interests will let it happen.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Oh course it is. And I understand that, now, at 25. But at 9 you don't need to know more than that. As I said in my previous post, ignorance is bliss at 9.

And you can replace any other animal with panda. Dingo? Koala? Squirrel?

Fair enough.

Koala I guess, but they're hard to find. Kangaroos are everywhere. BTW, we don't have squirrels, but we do have possums!

[DarkReign]

The last word is yours.