Considering the present state of our world, growing populations are creating many new problems.
Namely we are using up basic resources such as fresh water and minerals, polluting our atmosphere and notwithstanding; the world's weather patterns are becoming more destructive with each passing decade.
The changes in our world are no longer subtle.
They are in our face so to speak.
Ground water (aquifers), which took millions of years to fill, are reaching dangerously low levels.
Oil supplies, our primary form of energy, are on the downhill slope.
As for the world temperature, the ice melt on both poles is telling us the temperate world, we have enjoyed, may never return again.
In fact an average temperature rise of only 5 degrees, over the next 100 years, can turn our entire world into desert.
If you have checked the world's financial markets lately you have seen that energy and commodities are definitely on the rise.
Energy especially, with the promise of big returns, is soaking up the money supply and leaving the consumer wondering where all the money went.
If you doubt this wisdom then try getting a sizable loan.
They say "Green Energy" is an answer to many of our world's problems but I ask you to think again.
In terms of pure investment, nuclear power and oil production outstrip "Green Energy" more than a hundred to one.
I guess it goes to prove old habits die hard and therefore suggests, at least for the time being, "Green Energy" will remain on the back burner.
If you are asking yourself how all these changes affect you, I would have to say, whether you see it or not, you are in the middle of a financial revolution, which in turn, is changing your lifestyle.
By that I mean higher energy prices mean higher everything.
That includes transportation, food, housing, clothing, electronic gadgets and in fact just about everything you buy on a daily basis.
Think about this.
What is going to happen when oil prices start spiking upward? Can you really afford $4.
00/gallon gasoline; or what about $5.
00 or $6.
00 for a gallon of gas? Gets gruesome does it not? I predict we Americans are within 18 months of seeing $4.
00/gallon gasoline prices (with little or no increase in wages).
This is all assuming a war does not break out in the Middle East.
In that case we will all have to hold on to our hats, because oil will then turn into a commodity as valuable as gold.
Granted I am not painting a pretty picture here but facts are facts.
Many informed oil analysts are more pessimistic than I am.
The world is starting to roll over financially because of future energy costs and the consequences are unavoidable.
Our planet simply does not have the natural resources to sustain over six and a half billion citizens let alone the population growth predicted over the remainder of this century.
Something will have to give here and that something will not be pretty to look at.
I fear more war is unavoidable as more nations increase their defense budgets.
Saudi Arabia, for example, just spent 25 billion to buy new fighter aircraft and NATO is starting a new round to enhance their military capability.
The US is spending untold billions developing a new tactical fighter aircraft and strategic defensive missiles capability.
In all, the world is becoming more paranoid as the world's natural resources are being depleted and thus more expensive.
As a Veteran I truly regret the thought of what always seems like useless and tragic warfare.
Not only will soldiers have to die but cultures will become enamored with the thought of self defense-a condition in which all participants are defending themselves against an aggressor whose only cause is oppression.
This will be doubly stringent and violent in a world fighting for food and minerals rather than just for political gain-in short the face of future warfare will be nuclear and all that nuclear warfare implies.
If I could honestly predict a different future for the world, I would, but given the population growth of this crowded world of ours, as well as the slow depletion of the world's natural resources and the expansion of military spending, it is hard to predict otherwise.
We are in a phrase, "Hell-bent for disaster".
It would be interesting to see what our planet will look like 100 years into the future.
Although it is impossible to predict my best guess is; the world will sooner or later understand some form of population control will be required to sustain human life.
That in fact, in a world already depleted of much of its mineral wealth, it will be impossible to maintain such large populations of people.
Whether or not this guess will come true is certainly debatable but non-the-less it is my hope humanity will one day learn how to live together without warfare.
In closing I offer this analogy for thought...
In many ways our planet is comparable to life on a space ship.
That is a space ship would have limited resources and thus the management of supplies would be a first priority.
This would be especially true where oxygen and food were concerned.
In fact, before a long voyage ever began, the rules of consumption would be clearly spelled out as the occupants of the space ship would realize their very existence depended upon intelligent use of their resources.
In reality our planet is not much different from a space ship.
Our planet does travel vast distances through space and time with a crew of billions.
Our planet's atmosphere can be easily damaged and our planet's food, usable water and mineral resources cannot last forever.
The point of my analogy is this: The difference between the crew of this theoretical space ship and humanity is vision.
The crew of the space ship sees vividly the consequences of over consumption while humanity, caught up in survival, lacks the vision to see these same and critical consequences.
Namely we are using up basic resources such as fresh water and minerals, polluting our atmosphere and notwithstanding; the world's weather patterns are becoming more destructive with each passing decade.
The changes in our world are no longer subtle.
They are in our face so to speak.
Ground water (aquifers), which took millions of years to fill, are reaching dangerously low levels.
Oil supplies, our primary form of energy, are on the downhill slope.
As for the world temperature, the ice melt on both poles is telling us the temperate world, we have enjoyed, may never return again.
In fact an average temperature rise of only 5 degrees, over the next 100 years, can turn our entire world into desert.
If you have checked the world's financial markets lately you have seen that energy and commodities are definitely on the rise.
Energy especially, with the promise of big returns, is soaking up the money supply and leaving the consumer wondering where all the money went.
If you doubt this wisdom then try getting a sizable loan.
They say "Green Energy" is an answer to many of our world's problems but I ask you to think again.
In terms of pure investment, nuclear power and oil production outstrip "Green Energy" more than a hundred to one.
I guess it goes to prove old habits die hard and therefore suggests, at least for the time being, "Green Energy" will remain on the back burner.
If you are asking yourself how all these changes affect you, I would have to say, whether you see it or not, you are in the middle of a financial revolution, which in turn, is changing your lifestyle.
By that I mean higher energy prices mean higher everything.
That includes transportation, food, housing, clothing, electronic gadgets and in fact just about everything you buy on a daily basis.
Think about this.
What is going to happen when oil prices start spiking upward? Can you really afford $4.
00/gallon gasoline; or what about $5.
00 or $6.
00 for a gallon of gas? Gets gruesome does it not? I predict we Americans are within 18 months of seeing $4.
00/gallon gasoline prices (with little or no increase in wages).
This is all assuming a war does not break out in the Middle East.
In that case we will all have to hold on to our hats, because oil will then turn into a commodity as valuable as gold.
Granted I am not painting a pretty picture here but facts are facts.
Many informed oil analysts are more pessimistic than I am.
The world is starting to roll over financially because of future energy costs and the consequences are unavoidable.
Our planet simply does not have the natural resources to sustain over six and a half billion citizens let alone the population growth predicted over the remainder of this century.
Something will have to give here and that something will not be pretty to look at.
I fear more war is unavoidable as more nations increase their defense budgets.
Saudi Arabia, for example, just spent 25 billion to buy new fighter aircraft and NATO is starting a new round to enhance their military capability.
The US is spending untold billions developing a new tactical fighter aircraft and strategic defensive missiles capability.
In all, the world is becoming more paranoid as the world's natural resources are being depleted and thus more expensive.
As a Veteran I truly regret the thought of what always seems like useless and tragic warfare.
Not only will soldiers have to die but cultures will become enamored with the thought of self defense-a condition in which all participants are defending themselves against an aggressor whose only cause is oppression.
This will be doubly stringent and violent in a world fighting for food and minerals rather than just for political gain-in short the face of future warfare will be nuclear and all that nuclear warfare implies.
If I could honestly predict a different future for the world, I would, but given the population growth of this crowded world of ours, as well as the slow depletion of the world's natural resources and the expansion of military spending, it is hard to predict otherwise.
We are in a phrase, "Hell-bent for disaster".
It would be interesting to see what our planet will look like 100 years into the future.
Although it is impossible to predict my best guess is; the world will sooner or later understand some form of population control will be required to sustain human life.
That in fact, in a world already depleted of much of its mineral wealth, it will be impossible to maintain such large populations of people.
Whether or not this guess will come true is certainly debatable but non-the-less it is my hope humanity will one day learn how to live together without warfare.
In closing I offer this analogy for thought...
In many ways our planet is comparable to life on a space ship.
That is a space ship would have limited resources and thus the management of supplies would be a first priority.
This would be especially true where oxygen and food were concerned.
In fact, before a long voyage ever began, the rules of consumption would be clearly spelled out as the occupants of the space ship would realize their very existence depended upon intelligent use of their resources.
In reality our planet is not much different from a space ship.
Our planet does travel vast distances through space and time with a crew of billions.
Our planet's atmosphere can be easily damaged and our planet's food, usable water and mineral resources cannot last forever.
The point of my analogy is this: The difference between the crew of this theoretical space ship and humanity is vision.
The crew of the space ship sees vividly the consequences of over consumption while humanity, caught up in survival, lacks the vision to see these same and critical consequences.