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Carbon as a Symptom by trialballoon

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Alexander Hurley

Aug 16, 2017
08:47

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I would like to see more support for your claim that "The least technically complex tool in reducing carbon emissions would be population reduction". My personal and academic reading on this topic strongly suggests to me that population reduction is no simple task, provided that all basic human rights remain fully intact throughout any solution implementation process. 


Dana Barish

Aug 17, 2017
07:52

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The "technical" complexities in changing behavior are far less than those faced in, say, building a space-elevator-based nuclear power plant. I am not sure I understand your phrase "provided that all basic human rights remain fully intact". I am not sure which human rights are more "basic" than others and more importantly what happens if there is a conflict between two different human rights, i.e. if only one is possible of the two. I would assume that the most basic human right is the right to life. If another right, say, the right to reproduce conflicts with it, then perhaps the right to reproduce might take a back seat. Hopefully this is done through education. But in times of war even the right to life can be challenged when people are conscripted and sent into battle. This is justified, I suppose on the right to survival of a people or nation. We have managed to avoid world wars for a few years not in small part through education. Perhaps we can use a low-tech solution like education to avoid over-population. Basic human rights are often denied to people seen as a threat to society, e.g. prisoners. The question here is simply whether a nation or globe can define the threat properly before it is too late. What we truly need is a small dose of courage.