Breathing Earth

[Tommy-K]

My biology teacher showed us this really cool site, www.breathingearth.net

Breathing Earth (http://www.breathingearth.net/)

It shows a world map, and each country flashes red each time it produces 1000 tonnes of CO2. It shows how many 1000s of tonnes of CO2 the world is producing, and also the birth and death rates for the entire world, all in real time.

You can hover the mouse over certain countries to find out how long it takes for this country to produce 1000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, how often someone is born, and how often someone dies.

Here are two interesting examples:

UNITED STATES
Population: 299,102,661
1000 tonnes of CO2 emitted every: 5.4 seconds
1 person dies every: 12.8 seconds
1 person born every: 7.5 seconds

VANUATU
Population: 208,869
1000 tonnes of CO2 emitted every: 11.6 days
1 person dies every: 2.2 days
1 person born every: 1.8 hours

Is it just me, or is the rate of population increase for Vanuatu not sustainable for such a small island!

I thought this was a really interesting and pretty frightening site. Hope you like it.

EDIT: Just to put it in perspective, 1000 tonnes is about the capacity of an ocean-going liner. So the US is producing enough CO2 to fill an ocean-going liner every 5 seconds!

[Sentinel]

This is a really nice feature; not only does it very concretely display the results of the well known US government ignorance towards international efforts to reduce discharges; but also how development reduces the birthrate of a country -- in other words how the poverty caused by neocolonialism and the lack of solidarity (of the rulers of the first, towards the people of the third world) is the culprit behind global overpopulation issues.

Topic pinned. :)

[Vanguard1917]

the culprit behind global overpopulation issues.

What are these 'overpopulation issues'?

[Tommy-K]

Originally posted by [email protected] 07, 2007 01:40 pm

the culprit behind global overpopulation issues.

What are these 'overpopulation issues'?
The global population is rising at an unsustainable rate (as demonstrated by Breathing Earth). It is becoming very difficult to accomodate for the increasing rise in the population. Also, human beings create carbon dioxide. As the population rises, CO2 levels increase, which doesn't help the impending threats of global warming.

[Tommy-K]

Heres some scary yet interesting facts. After watching Breathing Earth for one minute, the world produced 24000 tonnes of CO2. Thats 24 ocean-going liners full of CO2 being let up into the atmosphere, in one minute.

Also, in the same minute, 187 were born and 64 people died.

This means the global population is rising by roughly:

123 people a minute.

7,380 an hour

177,120 a day

1,239,840 a week

64,471,680 a year

As the population rises, so do the CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

Is this not proof enough that we need to do a hell of a lot more to try and lessen carbon emissions?

[Sentinel]

Originally posted by Tommy-K+April 07, 2007 02:49 pm--> (Tommy-K @ April 07, 2007 02:49 pm)
[email protected] 07, 2007 01:40 pm

the culprit behind global overpopulation issues.

What are these 'overpopulation issues'?
The global population is rising at an unsustainable rate (as demonstrated by Breathing Earth). It is becoming very difficult to accomodate for the increasing rise in the population. Also, human beings create carbon dioxide. As the population rises, CO2 levels increase, which doesn't help the impending threats of global warming.[/b]
Exactly. Vanguard, what I meant in my above post was that this feature shows how this is a third world problem caused by capitalism, neocolonialism and imperialism -- ie those are what we need to tackle to solve the problem. Likewise is the chauvinism of capitalists responsible for the enormous discharges by the USA..

Was the third world to catch up on development with the first one, the amount of people on earth would most likely pretty much stagnate. But that won't happen as long as global capitalism exists..

While I would agree the threat of overpopulation is exaggerated by some misanthropic environmentalist extremists with primitivist tendencies, who tend to blame the very existance of a modern human society on earth for environmental problems, it is obviously a fact that there are limited resources on this rock.

Moreover, as some of you know, I adhere to the transhumanist outlook. I'm convinced that in a quite near future we are likely develop techniques to radically increase the human lifespan, and once we reach communism these techniques will become available for all..

So my position is basically that overpopulation likely will cause us a lot of headache in the future for several reason, but with capitalism overthrown things would immediately look much brighter; we might just have room here until space colonisation or some other distant-future solutions become available.

[Vanguard1917]

The global population is rising at an unsustainable rate

No, it isn't.

This planet can sustain many, many more people. With adequate industrial and agricultural development Africa alone could sustain at least a couple of billion more people.

Theories against population growth have been around for a long time (Thomas Malthus's 19th century theory, for example - which Engels called 'the most barbarous theory that ever existed').

Such 'overpopulation' hypotheses and predictions have always proved to be wrong.

As always, humanity is the solution, not the problem.

[Raúl Duke]

I don't know much about overpopulation but...

I heard that Malthus's population theory was made so to refute Godwin's Social Justice book.

Also, I think Malthus made his theory so he and his bourgeoisie friends can claim: "the poor working people are the unsustainable population, so who cares if they die sooner."

Maybe thats why Engels called it a barbarous theory.

Also, Malthus theory is the roots of evolutionary theory and many things related.

That my explain why there are many evolutionary, sociobiological, etc theories that are down-right reactionary; because the root of it (Malthus's theory, which was used to develop evolution) was also used for reactionary purposes.

P.S. I'm not saying evolution doesn't exist, I'm saying that sciences have and are being used for reactionary purposes, specifically those related to evolution. Also, I do think global warming is a real problem that needs to be solved.

[RedAnarchist]

That is a very interesting, and original site.

Below are the statistics for my country -

UNITED KINGDOM
Population: 59, 834, 300
1000 tonnes of CO2 emitted every: 58 seconds (comapred to the US's 5.4)
1 person dies every: 51.8 seconds
1 person born every: 40.9 seconds

How often do they update the population in the statistics?

[Qwerty Dvorak]

Just to put it in perspective, 1000 tonnes is about the capacity of an ocean-going liner. So the US is producing enough CO2 to fill an ocean-going liner every 5 seconds!
Also a tonne is a unit of mass (if I'm not mistaken) and most ocean liners tend to carry solids or liquids whereas CO2 is a gas, so really 1000 tonnes of CO2 is a hell of a lot more than would fill any ocean liner at standard temperature and pressure.

[RedAnarchist]

Just had another look at this site, and its amazing how much difference there is between different countries, even ones which are roughly the same size or have similar populations.

[Tommy-K]

Did anyone see in the news this week that China has taken over the US as the world's biggest CO2 emitter?

[chaingang3000]

it should only make sense that China would be the largest CO2 emitter, they have way more people than us, whats really stupid is that we also use up the same amount of petroleum as them and like I said we have way less people!

[Vinny Rafarino]

What are you cats going to target next once Al Gore is finished milking sensationalist ignorance among the masses?

Talk of throwing that formerly friendly, and quite good looking, chick methane from over on Carmine Street under the bus has been the on the lips of every fear mongering liberal for some time now.

I can't wait to see that train wreck.

Or at least the hundreds of "scared shit less" threads that pop up around here. :lol:

Shit jack, Chuck D. wasn't lying when he said "don't believe the hype".

[rosa-rl]

The 'hype' was once that there could be a global oil shortage based on Huberts peak and the rising demand for oil...

It was 'liberal hype' back then and high gas mileage cars were laughed at... that was 'way back' in 2001... now the conservative government is funding resurch in this area because the US - and I quote CNBC here just seconds ago has an 'oil CRISIS'...

Think about that... and think logically

[JorgeLobo]

this is a cute toy for children - don't give it more significance than it warrants.

Malthus merely offered a theory. Folks have predicted imminent and catastrophic exhaustion of earth's resources for centuries, more recently as the mythical "carrying capacity" BS - all to no reality. Further Malthus was not the basis for evolution - learn some biology, children.

Lastly and most importantly, learn some chemistry - especially, stoichiometry. There is no technology that can remove sufficient carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to meet even the past and meaningless Kyoto goals much less to divert the global warming hype.

[Picky Bugger]

Lastly and most importantly, learn some chemistry - especially, stoichiometry. There is no technology that can remove sufficient carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to meet even the past and meaningless Kyoto goals much less to divert the global warming hype.

This is actually incorrect, whilst there is currently no technology to remove carbon it is in fact theoretically possible and will most probably be used to combat CC at some point. The reason that the levels of research have not been increased to create this technology is because of Kyoto and the belief that we must be more green, effectively this technology would destroy any movement in the field of sustainability which is not in anyone's interests.

The following link is to a paper by Gwyn Prins & Steve Rayner called 'The Wrong Trousers' it talks about the issues with Kyoto and talks briefly about carbon capture from the atmosphere.

http://www.martininstitute.ox.ac.uk/JMI/Library/James+Martin+Institute+Editorial/The+Wrong+Trousers+-+Radically+rethinking+climate+policy.htm

[Klaatu]

You might find these links interesting

Running the electric clocks: over 1,000 tons of CO2 per hour
http://burningissues.org/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2090

The Carbon Bathtub
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/big-idea/05/carbon-bath

[Coelacanth]

This is terrifying.

[alphshuffel]

This all is the part of life. Every one have to die but we try to let people die before their time. So, we are not caring in any matter. We are just getting profit for the life at the cost of lives.

[chegitz guevara]

That is nifty.

[Comrade J]

Very interesting, but also somewhat disturbing.

[MotherCossack]

well, er cor blimey. it certainly freaks me out...... so many babies, one after the other; boom,boom,boom,boom etc etc.
are we being a bit greedy wiv the planet. not exactly sharing are we?
d'you think our children's children are gonna hate us?
or will our collective consciousness have been degraded to nothing by then......

[Misanthrope]

The global population is rising at an unsustainable rate (as demonstrated by Breathing Earth). It is becoming very difficult to accomodate for the increasing rise in the population. Also, human beings create carbon dioxide. As the population rises, CO2 levels increase, which doesn't help the impending threats of global warming.

You have to realize that there is enough advanced technology and enough food for everyone to live comfortably. It's just hoarded by the extremely wealthy.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Great link, I posted it on another forum but the reactionaries there still disregarded it. :rolleyes:

[Bostana]

WoW, This is pretty kool

[Super international]

Very interesting site, I know some people who think "god" told them to have like 10+ kids....
I'll show this to them.

[TaylorS]

So many babies! :ohmy: