Author Topic: Don't Panic about Population?  (Read 1540 times)

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Offline Colwyn

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Don't Panic about Population?
« on: November 08, 2013, 11:43:28 AM »
To understand this thread and join in I think it would help if you first did the "AutoQuiz" here:
http://www.calis-beach.co.uk/forum/all_things_that_have_nothing_do_turkey/autoquiz_53330.0.html

If you have already done the quiz did you also see the BBC2 programme This World: Don't Panic About Population. If not, it is available on iPlayer. Apart from sharing a title with the universe's biggest selling book of all time it was a very unusual show in that it was was quite a formal lecture (chap stood at the front with lots of audio-visual aids) but don't let that put you off, it is fun.

OK, now I'll kick off the discussion. The quiz called itself "The Ignorance Test" and it did point out to a number of us how little or wrong is our knowledge of the world in which we live. But just as strongly, it seems to me, it was measuring our emotional response to today's world; how pessimistic/optimistic we are. At the pessimistic end we have "We are all going to hell in a handcart and there's nothing we can do about it" which would score zero: there's nothing we can do about poverty; the world will inevitably become overcrowded; women are always going to be disadvantaged in education; and so on. At the optimistic end of the spectrum we have "Every day, in every way, the world is getting better and better" which would score 9: we can work to eliminate poverty; gender equality in education is not far off; population control is occurring naturally; and such like.

The researcher, Professor Hans Rosling, gives us “Five Good Things”:
1.      Fast population growth is coming to an end.
2.      The “developed” and “developing” worlds have gone.
3.      People are much healthier.
4.      Girls are getting a better education.
5       The end of extreme poverty is in sight’

This gives a rather cosy view of the future but, of course, it only deals with selected items and, being statistically based, gives little insight in to experienced living conditions. Is this optimistic view justified? What do you think?
 
 



Offline johntaylor49

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Re: Don't Panic about Population?
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2013, 12:17:17 PM »
Depends, are the statistics standard "differential" or mean average or Tesco Clubcard?  :)




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