Well, to start with, given that a human will only ever have one child and it takes two humans to produce any quantity, forcing families to have only one child will severely cripple the species as a whole. Why? Because it means that each successive generation has half the population, which eventually boils down to an unsustainable gene pool and species death. Granted, in a good few years, but only 33 generations later we have about one person, given our present 6 billion.

Now, as for saving our dwindling resources, it's more than a matter of simply finding a sustainable resource, it's getting everyone to switch over to it. Heck, the classic car community alone would fight to the last man to keep their petrol-fueled internal combustion engines running, and I seriously doubt that the gas companies will go down quietly.

As for the resources themselves, virtually anything on Earth can be modified at the least to run purely on electricity. Now, where do we get electricity? Well, there are a number of ways, but the one considered by most to be the most environmentally friendly is solar power, the energy of the sun. But we'd need a lot of surface area catching a lot of solar rays to get that energy.

A friend of mine who often considers either politics or global domination tends to consider a massive growing satellite in stationary orbit above the planet. It uses some solar panels to keep itself going, and beams the rest of the energy to Earth for everything else. As resources dwindle, more and more buy stock in the company building this satellite, allowing it to grow bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until eventually it's easily considered to be a megastructure, visible from Earth and certainly visible from space. However, the social and political ramifications of this "Prometheus Candle" (As we've called it) are almost impossible to predict.

Bury deep, pile on the stones

Yet I will, dig up the bones

nope i said two

but i like your thinking of a sattelite to power the planet

it would just take a while

also, wouldnt it waste alot of energy if you tried to beam the energy through dense atmosphere?

war's my game
destruction by no other name

Yeah, it would, at least when it's cloudy or overcast. I think the most efficient method of getting the energy back down here would be to turn the "satellite" (not anchored to the Earth) into a "skyhook" (anchored to the Earth) by planting it on the end of an orbital elevator and sending the electricity down through a super-conductive material, or through a helium-filled tube.

These "orbital elevators" are essentially huge ribbons anchored to the Earth, with elevator cars attached to them. It's going to be a far cheaper way to get things into space than even reusable spacecraft like the shuttle:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_elevator

Melee weapons: Because there's nothing more satisfying than bashing in a zed cranium with your new best friend, Mr Crowbar™. (Product demonstration brought to you by nick47)

Good post Cyber.

I too think that humanity won't last the next half millennium, at least not without an extreme solution. Hopefully I'll be long dead before any of those measures are instituted.

Personally I think extreme measures are going to have to be instituted. For one, we're going to have to throw out our luxuries. No offense, I know some people do need them but not everyone needs a car. We got along fine for our entire existence, cars are only 100 years old. We've already proven not everyone needs one. Cars should be scrapped, and a more efficient (Albeit still public) mode of transportation should be established. What that is, I don't know. But what I do know is that in the West there are usually 3 cars to 7 people, and in India and China they are gearing up to meet that. That is quite literally Billions of cars sucking up gas and throwing emissions into the air.

People need to stop having kids, and by people I mean everyone besides the West. Our child average is 2.3 per family, and that is just fine. A nice even growth. In India and China they have 6 or 7 (AVERAGE) per family, in Africa it's something like 10 (Although to be fair usually only 2 or 3 live). Lot's of kids aren't necessary, the age of manual labor has passed. Instead of oppressing and fighting each other humanity should band together and Globalize. Share our technology and resources so that people in poorer nations aren't compelled to pop out so many kids. Something like it's projected in 100 years 17 billion people?! That's crazy, unnecessary, and dangerous. Our planet is at the edge of no return resource wise, and that's with only 6 billion.

For some very odd reason we have not been sinking everything into Space Colonization and Exploration. We haven't even been to Mars yet, there is no colony on the moon, yet we've had the capability to go into space for 40+ years. In 20+ years computers have gone from building filling contraptions able only to calculate simple lines of code and mathematics to hand held machines only inches long and millimeters wide, with the ability to tap into a Global network and communicate with people all over the world. They've barely upgraded the space shuttle. Does no one else think that's crazy? If Bush sunk the money he's spent on Iraq into Nasa, just imagine the possibilities!

People need to lose their ignorance and bias. More then ever people the world over know and respect each other. Things like Religion, Race, and differing styles of Government need to be thrown out the friggin' door. No offense, we all have the freedom to believe whatever we want, but as typical per people we've warped Religion into something sinister and evil. Religion was necessary, once, to stop people from offing themselves in record numbers and help establish stable governments, but now it's a hate inspiring institution. It only divides man. Race is ridiculous. We're all human. Our insides all look the same, we're all born the same way, we all have the same base attributes and abilities. Skin colour, facial features, eye colours. These are stupid and only used in negatives ways. For some reason we all have this crazy notion that our own government and country is the best in the world. Guess what, besides imaginary lines and a coloured rag there is no other evidence of a country. There is only a piece of land people inhabit, and for some very odd reason people think they need a label. Lose the countries, establish a Global Government, and refer to each other as Earthlings or even better just humans. When we colonize other worlds then we can go back to our hateful ways.

To ensure our survival humanity is going to need to give up a lot of it's luxuries and freedoms. For some reason when given a good thing and allowed the freedom to do as they wish with it, people tend to screw up what could be a Utopia.

Truthfully we're going to have to establish a system that people will never willing accept (At least now).

A centralized government, regulating supplies and goods globally. People would be registered, and any born children would instantly be given up to an agency that raises them without bias, educating them about their own fallibility, about the divisions humans create and their deadly affect on the species, and how sacrifice in the name of the species is the only way to assure our survival and dominance. Of course they would be rigorously educated in Science, math, language as well, but that would secondary to assuring the child respects humans and what their role is. Children would be raised the same globally with a fanatical love of humanity and it's institutions, and with the realization that humans are inherently corrupt and greedy and that any sign of corruption or greed must quickly be dealt with. People would have to be assigned jobs, of course after rigorous testing to determine what they're most suited for. Space exploration would be the number one thing on the Government's agenda. Food and water and other such things would be heavily rationed and regulated. Punishment and law enforcement would have to be severe.

At least, that's what I personally think it's going to take to even hope that we'll continue to exist. I know it's easier to talk about since we don't live in such a society, but honestly we need to stop plugging our ears and going "La la la!"

We ARE on the brink of extinction. There's no way we can continue our current culture and hope to have a future. However, for some odd reason, when faced with these facts people just ignore it. I admit I am guilty of this myself, because frankly when I speak or advocate such extreme measures I'm labeled "fascist, Totalitarian, Authoritative, a Nazi, unrealistic" to mention the nicer comments. It's proven that we need extreme circumstances to institute extreme change.

As Agent K of the MIB puts it (Quite Rightly) Quote
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." End Quote

I love long rants, don't you? This is a touchy subject for me. I know I might sound wrong in many instances, but that only reinforces (In my mind) how right I am. Sorry my minds made up.

"It doesn't matter if you're smart, dumb, ugly, pretty... it's all the same once yer dead... and a corpse can't laugh." - silent Hill 2

Eliot - Site Admin agrees;
"Yendor makes an interesting point."

Keep in mind for that every person born another one is probably dying at the same time thus cancelling part of the problem.

"They drew first blood not me..." (Stallone in Rambo: First Blood)

Yes I do enjoy long rants, but a great deal of respect has suddenly been thrown out the window.

I'm just going to go ahead and say this about most of that you are preaching. I'd do everything in my power to prevent that from happening. Even if I had to resort to measure that would brand a very popular word starting with a 'T' on my forehead. Yes I really would enjoy seeing the human race fail rather than live through that.

I think Mr. Zelman sums it up as well: "When powerful people, seeking to impose perfect solutions from above, find that every road to Utopia fails, they're all too willing to take the path that lies over the bodies of the dead or the enslaved."

If the leaders of a couple countries started preaching this and were intent on making such preaching practice (the leader of my country included) the thought of riding a daisy cutter straight down on the building they are in would not bother me the slightest bit.

Sorry, my mind is made up as well.

of course they die
about 70yrs later, keep in mind

is that why in america alone the average family has 2.4 children? and since accidental death is low in a civilised society, that leads to an exponential growth

watch the video

if people died fast enough we wouldnt have such a huge overpopulation

hell, some asians come to canada for a visit (read NOT IMMIGRATION), arrive pregnant and then say "i cannot go back, in my country the limit is two and they will make me get an abortion" so all the pussies rush to save the poor baby and she stays here to have another dozen babies

do you realise that something like 1.3% growth (which sounds infinitesimal) leads to the world population increasing by a BILLION in a decade? doesnt sound so small now does it?

watch the video please

war's my game
destruction by no other name

well then what do you suppose we should do? if you had watched my video then you would know that nature has a way of settling things out

there is plan a that is: contraception, small families, planned parenthood, ban on immigration

or: disease famine war pestilence genocide

see one way or another that extra people are going to have to go, and if your neighbor has more money, resources and influence than you, you might end up one of the "weaker ones" that dont make it through overpopulation

But i am not saying we should all just line up and give up our freedoms to the first Al Gore booth. As a matter of fact that is still very dangerous, since people get corrupted by power rather easily. I am saying its a detremental but nesessary step in human survival that will have to occur to some degree, otherwise things will get much worse.

Or better yet, tell me sanchez, what would you rather have?

1) a society where you are microchipped, have limited freedoms, constand surveillance, government regulations as to what you can and cannot eat, buy, say, or how many children you can have or:
2) a total government collapse with only one-hundredth of a percent of GLOBAL population surviving, struggling for recources and on the path there, cutting throats and fighting for their "share"

that freedom doesnt sound so sexy when you have to fight to the death for it with infinitesimal chances of survival and lose all faith in your fellow men, now does it?

war's my game
destruction by no other name

What video?

I'll take option two like I said in my earlier post. I am quite will to resort to using unpleasant methods on my fellow man to keep what I have. Hell, that's what survivalists were preparing for before you or I were ever born. If you, or anyone else in that matter decide to come knocking on my door for those reasons do these things:

Write up your will.
Spend as much time as possible with those you love.
Eat a very good meal.
Prepare for hell, because I wouldn't bother me the slightest bit to take someone's life in a rather gruesome manner if they decide to do such things.

Think about that last part for a while. Three father figures in my life. A drunk, someone who dabbles in the drug trade, and a mean as shit Georgia boy who was a survivalist during the 80s. A number of 'friends' in high school were thieves. From just this smidge of information you can see I am not a very nice person. Believe me there are quite a few people who are a whole lot worse.

Besides, humans always seem to screw things up whenever they try to preserve something they have little control over. Think Yellowstone was a pretty good example.

you know the video in my original post

also, suit yourself

war's my game
destruction by no other name