A new use for solar power: pump oil

[auroraglacialis]

Originally Posted by Aquaplant

Now when it comes to non-essential consumption, there are places where things can be toned down without having a significant impact of the standard of living. Still, it's no wonder people consume so much when everything we buy breaks down in less than a year due to being bad quality. Then again most of the stuff we buy is just for entertainment rather than essential need.

I agree. These are some of the problems - wastefulness and the demand for entertainment (which in part comes from the deprivation of people from natural living. Of course a person sitting in an office or school for hours a day needs "entertainment" - unlike a person who does what he likes most of the day, who is free to play, sing, talk, be outdoors, build and create things.

Originally Posted by Clarke

For instance, I recently learned that Qatar, of all places, uses the most energy per person per year. When you look, the reason for this is rather simple.

WellQatar is a place that is just symptomatic - it is a place where there should not be so many people living. But still - I visited Persia once (now called Iran) and they had ancient buildings there that used underground tunnels to direct water into the town to form pools - then they used towers to catch the wind and direct it over the pools to cleate a humid and cool atmosphere in the buildings. Voila - 100% renewable, free, solar powered air conditioning 1000 years ago...

Originally Posted by Human No More

Africa's a continent.

Ok, then replace "USA" in my text with "North America" and it also is a continent. Does not change the argument.

In order to support the human population, without civilisation, the entire Earth's surface would have to be dedicated to agriculture or housing, not to mention the instant chaos that would erupt and likely cause WW3.

For the first - "citation needed".
For the second - only if there is a crash or collapse. I think if we do "business as usual", that crash will eventually come. Which is why I think one better would be advised to start thinking about a "soft landing"

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

Lol, I never expected to hear support for this kind of thing from Avatar fans, of all people.

Indeed - I am amazed. I remember in the first year when I put out stories like this in the forum, of dams being built, of new mines bein opened and of crazy oil projects, a lot of people agreed that it was horrible, that this is the RDA doing this, that they are building hells gate... and recently I hear "but we need all of this" all the time. What happened?

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

What I've always advocated. Subsidized contraceptives for both men and women, subsidized abortion, and standardized, thorough sexual education for all school ciriculums, as well as rolling back tax credits for large families, such as a cutoff of two children (beyond this, the family loses their tax breaks).

Good plan. Most important of all I think however are equal rights and possibilities for women (self determination, control over their own lives and bodies) and free or very affordable access to any means of birth control. Women usually would choose to have less children than more if they are free to choose and there are not economic, religious or patriachalic interests at play. And yes - to tax-subsidize large families is rather mad. On the other hand I see a point even if it plays into an overall madness. Here in Germany, birth rates in German families are approaching 1 child per family. Immigrant families however range way above 2 children per family. The result is that this turns into a "arms race" to preserve culture and ethnicity. There are increasingly Germans around that fear that within 50 years Germany will be islamic. I think to fight this kind of demographic "takeover" by subsidizing population growth is definitely the wrong choice. It is what lead to an overpopulated world in the first place - because each nation or state or country tried to grow faster than the others in an effort to outcompete them.