X-Message-Number: 2570 Subject: CRYONICS Population and Pollution From: (Ben Best) Date: Sun, 23 Jan 1994 23:12:00 -0500 Since no one else seems interested in answering Franz Amador, I'll take this opportunity to express myself on the subject of overpopulation and pollution. Concerning overpopulation, it should be observed that overpopulation is primarily a problem in countries where technology is low. It is probably no accident that these countries are almost invariably military dictatorships with predatory economic policies. Hong Kong, by contast, contains the most densely populated regions on Earth, is almost bereft of natural resources and has a very free market (with minimal welfare benefits) -- and yet has "labour shortages" and a booming economy. Overpopulatin is not an economic drain as long as each additional person creates more wealth than he or she consumes. The Earth is very spacious, yet human beings cram themselves into cities -- building skyscrapers to increase population density. Currently, the most rapid population growth is in countries with the least capacity to economically sustain such growth. In developed countries, generous welfare systems provide incentives for reproduction among the least productive elements of those countries' citizens. Exponential population growth (parents having 8 children, who in turn have 8 children) is the most serious current population problem -- not the linear population growth that would follow from people having eternal life. Even if death were eliminated and people restricted themselves to having one child (2 per couple), population increase would be linear, rather than exponential. Immortality does not necessitate having "no children". Currently, less than one-millionth of one percent of the world's population has made arrangements to be frozen. Most people I talk to show no interest in immortality even under the best circumstances. The issue of immortalism is of negligible importance to current populations problems -- and to problems of the foreseeable future. The essense of the pollution problem lies in the fact that the Earth contains many resources which are not privatized -- and in many instances are impossible to privatize. In artifical habitats in space all resources, including air and water, would be produced, sold and conserved. On Earth, there are no individual incentives not to pollute when access to air and water are without cost. There are no individual incentives to protect the ozone layer. Note, however, that these problems have NOTHING to do with immortalism per se. These problems must be addressed even if population growth stops and the cycle of birth and death does not change. On a more optimistic note, I observe that technology may be becoming less polluting. Large cities were far more polluted 60 years ago -- when people used coal for heating -- than they are today. Fusion power and electric cars could make cities of the future even cleaner. Moreover, if the cost is low enough, nanomachines to launder the atmosphere could be financed by charities -- despite the absence of private property and individual economic incentive. Thus, although real problems exist with overpopulation and pollution, these problems will exist with or without immortalism -- and must be solved with or without immortalism. Immortalists would have the greatest incentives to solve these problems. But otherwise, the probable impact of immortalism on these problems is, relatively speaking, negligible. -- Ben Best (ben.best%) Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=2570