China a surprise leader in clean energy: study (AFP)

Suppose the human race safely recycled 100% of all its industrial waste and garbage. Could the Earth then support 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 billion people? There would be no room for wilderness or wildlife, all forests would be tree farms, wild birds would go extinct, insect populations would explode, the few remaining animal species would be herded for slaughter, and people would go mad and run amok from the overcrowding.

If it was as simple as that then we would be able to grow as much as we like. Our ecosystem however have multiple equilibra which tend to define different functional states. So non - linear features of processes of predation, reproduction, competition and water and nutrient dynamics create the various equilibra so we still need to determine how our ecosystem can cope with population growth. Once the balancing point is exceeded then we can say goodbye to human race.

Is it possible to calculate exactly how many people the Earth can support? There would be too much disagreement. It would be more effective to assume the Earth has limited resources and proceed peacefully with family planning programs to reduce the human population. Then, the explosion of economic sprawl and pollution would stop, the biosphere could begin to heal and people could study how to live in peace and balance: no poor supporting the rich, but everyone sharing income and labor fairly and decently; not an absolutely dictated equality, but each community peacefully managing itself in free cooperation with others. The reason why this hasn't been working is the instinctive domination of men over women and their greed for more of everything. Family partnership should replace male supremacy. Then wives and husbands together would be free to decide how many children the family can support, which would be only one, two or three. Then the Earth could return to its natural balance and abundantly support a reformed human civilization.

Do you really think 100% clean up is possible? a few weeks ago tennis players who played in Shanghai were complaining of poor air conditions. Chenese industries are operating at full blast right now and i wonder how they are going to balance growing economy and developing a cleaner environment.

Also I do not think its a blaming game were we blame men versus women or rich versus poor. In all sectors of life people have poor understanding of the function of our ecosystems. Consider the gas gazzlers, high energy cost, shopperholics, hunters in third world countries, excessive industrialisation and most problematic overconsumption. There are no rules against these actions. The current cost of cleaning up the mess we are in is enomous and might not be afforded, the problem is we still have people who do not believe there time bomb of environmental catastrophe!!

Exactly, and they will not see it as long as they are trapped as wage and debt slaves in a predatory global economy.

When the Chinese leaders finally realized that Marxist socialism could not supply their rapidly growing population, they took a lesson from Lenin's "New Economic Policy" when the new USSR invited foreign businessmen to rapidly develop the Russian economy as only capitalists can do, and after a few years sent them away with whatever short term profits they had earned. But the Chinese leaders decided that capitalism works so much better than socialism they would keep it and try to regulate it as best they can. But that's the problem with capitalism, it works entirely too well, creating enormous problesms as the cost of its rabid expansion and the exploding population it needs to keep on bringing in the huge profits the big businessmen must have to feel good about themselves. So, the Chinese became addicted and put out slogans like "To be rich is glorious!" When I heard that I laughed and laughed at how typically human the Chinese are. Anyone who wants to understand their history, see "The Last Emporor" and "The Sand Pebbles". Every people on Earth deserve to be understood and loved.

The basic human dilemma is instictive, subconscious fear of death and the destructive response of male supremacy and its yearning for power over life and the defeat of death. Thus, the power to propagate a large, rich and influential family, tribe and nation seems to drive away the phantoms of death, but it runs into other male-dominated family-tribe-nations that demand the growth of their own exclusive wealth and power = the history of Mankind.

I am not surprised at China being the leader in clean energy efforts, they are a very innovative and creative country of people who keep a lot of their plans and stategies under wraps. Their entire continent must of read "The art of war " because they are very stategic and efficient. This makes me want to study their practices and policies in order to help other underdevolping and developed countries improve their energy status.