Zwijn posted... You could easily have 20 billion people, but the environment will collapse if we live like we do now, and even if we lived like many, many decades ago.
But that's not what I asked. I completely agree that the environment will collapse if we continue on living like some sort of planetary cancer parasite species. Let's stop putting up this stupid strawman.
So okay, now it's many, many decades ago. Say a full century? So if human civilization, if progress and technology and most importantly
industry were somehow reverted back to 1920s level then we would have, well I don't want to say no problem but say sustaining as much as 20 billion people would be well within the realm of possibility. That's what you're saying right?
Or else how far back do we need to go? Or is it just not possible for 20 billion human beings to live on Earth at
some level of civilization? I mean after all isn't part of the purpose of civilization that MORE people can live at a BETTER standard with it than without? But of course we have to manage our resources and our waste... at any level! So could it be maybe that we don't have to go that far back, heck maybe even move forward in some respects, except that we just need to change some things? Better management. MUCH better management. Which understandably looks like a daunting task when you consider not only the extent of change but the scale of change that's needed. But still possible, right? So that it's not so much that our entire way of life has to be radically, essentially downgraded... just changed. Or are you saying that this is impossible, that to be human ESSENTIALLY means to live in the way that human beings live today? No, right, there are less cancerous, parasitic ways for human beings to exist... right??
I think it's a lot more than 20 billion by the way but alright, let's deal with 8 or so first. I mean think about it... obviously it's not really the amount of people that's the problem (you already admitted as much!) but what those people do, the way that those people live. So at least you're looking at it the right way. That's always a good first step.