|
|
Post by johnofgwent on Aug 5, 2023 17:20:45 GMT
I think it's beyond any doubt that humans are causing the extinction of many species - mainly by removal of habitat. As I've said we've "repurposed" 75% of the land to support our huge increase in population. Africa is predicted to double its population by 2050. And we're now talking about mining the sea bed to provide the resources to build batteries for these useless BEVs - so we're destroying the seas environment before we even know much about it. Also we've massively reduced the number of insects by creating monocultures and using pesticides. And we're turning large areas into landfill sites. It's a disaster and the only solution is cutting the population - but nobody is even talking about this any more. We need to start putting contraceptives in the water of various countries - starting with Pakistan. just stop interfering in their desire to nuke india (and stop interfering in indias desire to nuke pakistan then) |
|
|
|
Post by Dan Dare on Aug 5, 2023 17:24:29 GMT
Although the UN projects that the population of Africa will increase by 1.1 billion by 2050 it doesn't state how they are going to be fed. I guess that's where we come in. Its where science comes in. Didn't Bill Gates say if Africa was farmed like the UK it could feed the world 5 times over. I'd like to see the science behind this claim even if limited to just an explanation of how Africa could become self-sufficient never mind able to feed the world five times over.
Africa has not been self-sufficient in food since the 1970s when its population was less than a third of its present size, or a sixth of the size projected for 2050.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on Aug 5, 2023 17:25:15 GMT
It’s a great thought but I’m sure that you would agree that farming isn’t necessarily conducive to the environment or maintaining existing species. I'm sure we could manage both if we wanted to. Fact is we don't really want to. We want pretty things, big cars, nice holidays and loads of sugar. We could easily grow our food in multi-storey buildings instead of living in them ourselves. We just don't want to make the effort. Including Africans . Growing food in buildings INSTEAD of living in them? |
|
|
|
Post by zanygame on Aug 5, 2023 18:53:12 GMT
Its where science comes in. Didn't Bill Gates say if Africa was farmed like the UK it could feed the world 5 times over. I'd like to see the science behind this claim even if limited to just an explanation of how Africa could become self-sufficient never mind able to feed the world five times over.
Africa has not been self-sufficient in food since the 1970s when its population was less than a third of its present size, or a sixth of the size projected for 2050.
Much of much of Africa's inability to feed itself is due to two things. 1, That its not one big country, most countries in Africa are self sufficient in food even at their inefficient levels, but they don't share with those countries that are overpopulated for their fertile land. 2, Wars. The UK has about 400 people per arable sq km. and we are about 65% food efficient. Africa has about 42 people per arable sq km. The maths is easy. |
|
|
|
Post by sandypine on Aug 5, 2023 19:51:24 GMT
I'd like to see the science behind this claim even if limited to just an explanation of how Africa could become self-sufficient never mind able to feed the world five times over.
Africa has not been self-sufficient in food since the 1970s when its population was less than a third of its present size, or a sixth of the size projected for 2050.
Much of much of Africa's inability to feed itself is due to two things. 1, That its not one big country, most countries in Africa are self sufficient in food even at their inefficient levels, but they don't share with those countries that are overpopulated for their fertile land. 2, Wars. The UK has about 400 people per arable sq km. and we are about 65% food efficient. Africa has about 42 people per arable sq km. The maths is easy. The UK is farmed the way it is because of Europeans. Many areas in Africa were farmed efficiently by European farmers but the experience of Zimbabwe showed that taking the farms away from European control resulted in a disastrous outcome. South Africa is a much more complicated issue but land reform and redistribution to correct clear injustices have not worked well. So if we have 400 people per arable sqkm and are still only 65% food efficient the last thing we need is increasing that 400 to 420 by either immigration or building on arable land. |
|
|
|
Post by zanygame on Aug 5, 2023 20:39:20 GMT
Much of much of Africa's inability to feed itself is due to two things. 1, That its not one big country, most countries in Africa are self sufficient in food even at their inefficient levels, but they don't share with those countries that are overpopulated for their fertile land. 2, Wars. The UK has about 400 people per arable sq km. and we are about 65% food efficient. Africa has about 42 people per arable sq km. The maths is easy. The UK is farmed the way it is because of Europeans. Many areas in Africa were farmed efficiently by European farmers but the experience of Zimbabwe showed that taking the farms away from European control resulted in a disastrous outcome. South Africa is a much more complicated issue but land reform and redistribution to correct clear injustices have not worked well. So if we have 400 people per arable sqkm and are still only 65% food efficient the last thing we need is increasing that 400 to 420 by either immigration or building on arable land. Actually farming in the UK is far more intensive than most of Europe. But the point is not to do anything to the UK, but to give Africa the knowhow to emulate us. A no strings attached help. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2023 20:46:14 GMT
I read somewhere - I think it might have been in the New Scientist magazine - that some 90% of all land animals today are entirely dependent upon human beings, either as pets or on farms. This is a staggering statistic and if accurate demonstrates the extent to which we as a species have warped and perverted the natural evolution of other species and bent them to our own needs and wants. The rest of life on this planet is increasingly being forced into niches that serve us, or is otherwise dying out. Presumably you mean large land mammals. I don't think insects really rely on us. Apart from the dung beetles feeding off all the bullshit supplied in the houses of parliament, lol. Seriously, though, fair point. Insects are almost certainly excluded from that calculation. In spite of that though, it is still a worrying statistic. |
|
|
|
Post by johnofgwent on Aug 5, 2023 22:36:36 GMT
I'd like to see the science behind this claim even if limited to just an explanation of how Africa could become self-sufficient never mind able to feed the world five times over.
Africa has not been self-sufficient in food since the 1970s when its population was less than a third of its present size, or a sixth of the size projected for 2050.
Much of much of Africa's inability to feed itself is due to two things. 1, That its not one big country, most countries in Africa are self sufficient in food even at their inefficient levels, but they don't share with those countries that are overpopulated for their fertile land. 2, Wars. The UK has about 400 people per arable sq km. and we are about 65% food efficient. Africa has about 42 people per arable sq km. The maths is easy. Rhodesia was the breadbasket of Africa Zimbabwe however …. It isn’t JUST wars, but i do agree they don’t help and Africa does seem to have a lot of them. |
|
|
|
Post by Montegriffo on Aug 5, 2023 22:38:08 GMT
A quarter of all known species of animals are beetles.
400k identified so far with an estimated 1.2 million different beetles out there.
|
|
|
|
Post by oracle75 on Aug 5, 2023 23:36:53 GMT
Africa is already a realignment between China and Russia.
The latest coup in Niger involves Russian influence. Niger is an important source of uranium.
The west has alrezdy lost Africa and should keep its head down. It isnt far away.
|
|
|
|
Post by zanygame on Aug 6, 2023 7:58:59 GMT
Much of much of Africa's inability to feed itself is due to two things. 1, That its not one big country, most countries in Africa are self sufficient in food even at their inefficient levels, but they don't share with those countries that are overpopulated for their fertile land. 2, Wars. The UK has about 400 people per arable sq km. and we are about 65% food efficient. Africa has about 42 people per arable sq km. The maths is easy. Rhodesia was the breadbasket of Africa Zimbabwe however …. It isn’t JUST wars, but i do agree they don’t help and Africa does seem to have a lot of them. My fault, I was trying to be succinct, so I used the word "wars" to encompass warlords, corrupt governments, displaced people etc. |
|
|
|
Post by Dan Dare on Aug 6, 2023 8:19:55 GMT
Much of much of Africa's inability to feed itself is due to two things. 1, That its not one big country, most countries in Africa are self sufficient in food even at their inefficient levels, but they don't share with those countries that are overpopulated for their fertile land. 2, Wars. The UK has about 400 people per arable sq km. and we are about 65% food efficient. Africa has about 42 people per arable sq km. The maths is easy.
Are you sure? According to my sums at 42 people per km2 all of Africa consists of arable land and then some.
PS besides uneven production patterns and wars there's also:
|
|
|
|
Post by Baron von Lotsov on Aug 6, 2023 9:13:11 GMT
Many scientists, environmentalists and Sir David Attenborough certainly believe so. They point to mounting evidence that species extinction caused by human activity is occuring on a scale approaching that of the other five Extinction Events that scientists have identified in pre-historic times.
The last such event occured at the end of the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago and resulted in the elimination of the dinosaurs, but that one is now believed to have had an extra-terrestrial cause. The present one, many say, is entirely 'home grown' in that it is being caused by factors local to Planet Earth, but not this time by hostile geological or climatic conditions. Many believe that AGW is a factor in parallel with man's unprecedented domination as the first global super-predator which has given him the power and ability to eliminate all other predators andto substitute his food animals for native megafauna on a global basis.
This is why some commentators are now referring to the Event as the Anthropogene Extinction.
David Attenborough put out a documentary on the topic in 2020 which created quite a stir at the time. Perhaps it's due for a re-showing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dan Dare on Aug 6, 2023 9:18:36 GMT
It's bad form to post up Youtubes without offering readers any sense of what they are likely to get out of watching it and/or the point you are trying to make.
|
|
|
|
Post by sheepy on Aug 6, 2023 9:25:55 GMT
Dunno, but I do take great delight in confusing AI as I surf the internet confusing it on which adverts it can pick for me and which media stories. It is so confused now it can only pick a few and they are nothing that interests me anyway.
|
|
