How will we survive when the population hits 10 billion? | Charles C. Mann

By 2050, an estimated 10 billion people will live on earth. How are we going to provide everybody with basic needs while also avoiding the worst impacts of climate change? In a talk packed with wit and wisdom, science journalist Charles C. Mann breaks down the proposed solutions and finds that the answers fall into two camps -- wizards and prophets -- while offering his own take on the best path to survival.

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[whatsmyageagain]

It's telling in the part where he says, "We think we're special, but it's much worse than that", then everybody laughs. You'd think a statement like that would silence everyone, but the irony is we do think we're so special that our individual preservation will always come before a globalised effort to make the changes we need.

[fatimareyes]

To me, the solution has always been obvious: educate people. It has been shown that the more educated people are, the less kids they have; the more educated they are, the more money they make and the more aware they are of human problems, and therefore the more willing they are to help solve them.

[gobofraggel]

When I visited friends in the Philippines I was shocked when I had to shower with a bucket of cold water. There was no shower head, only a faucet. I squatted and lathered the sponge and washed, I then used the water to rinse. For my 2 weeks there this was how I bathed and I actually felt really bad about how I showered in the USA and how wasteful it was. I would have stood under a shower of running water, wasting gallon after gallon of water with the music playing for 15 minutes. It made me realize there are other ways to live which are less wasteful. Today I use a restrictor on the showerhead and I play George Michael's "Careless Whisper" and I am in and out of the shower before the song ends (less than 3 minutes).

[Tenlbtestees]

I love his energy. His sense of urgency, it’s refreshing yet scary. Very good speaker.

[malayagr]

The simple answer is this: If we go on living the way we do, we probably aren't going to get to 10 billion.

[oo-jd-oo]

I'm 43 years old now... never married ... No kids .... You're welcome


oh and the main reason? Brace yourselves .... Cuz I've never felt that I could honestly afford to have kids

[DAMfoxygrampa]

We somehow hittin 10 billion but I can't get a text back

[evadubois]

Heartbreaking, frustrating, makes me cry out of frustration... We have got so much potential as a species, we could build such efficient and wonderful global communities, if we would just help each other reach our fullest potential instead of fighting each other over BULLSHIT.

[PrinceG]

*Use condoms simple as that*
And good quality condoms so they don't leak like water pipes.

[Urelasir]

Its obvious, the rich few will have everything and protection while the poor die of hunger.
Thats how humanity works.

[Ziggy]

My family stoped using plastic bags, lowered water and power usage, moved to a vegetarian diet and each day we do a little more. We take small steps and will keep making them. We all need to care less about our selfs and more about what’s around us.

[StefanVenus]

It's 2019, .... to you who reads this in 2050, ... good luck with the petri dish!

[TerielAtmano]

People would protest and share knowledge if they saw the problems in this video as greater than their own personal troubles. No one has time to go to the streets to fight for nuclear energy when they're struggling for enough money, a loving partner, good friends, having time to relax, being skilled at something, getting rid of personal addictions... Until we get better at solving personal problems at a global scale, we won't care about the bigger picture. Universal basic income seems like a good start to free up some personal energy to devote to bigger matters. This might not work either, as it seems like we'll just keep comparing ourselves to each other and finding new personal worries to spend our energy on. Maybe we should study the mindsets of people who made change on a greater scale, and try to create conditions that foster those mindsets on a massive scale.

[SystematikSoundz]

Not having kids is my contribution. Stopping the bloodline right here! :-D

[Hannah-mddl]

Can someone disliked this video explain why? This is a good, informative speech that gives us awareness of problems that over population causes. Everyone thinks they are exception, having a few kids in their family doesn't matter at all, but it can actually add up to the world population cricis, resource depletion and those kids are the ones who'll finally suffer.

[darkisland]

It's like I've always thought: the proper approach is ALWAYS in the middle, and doesn't lie (or even exist) in the extremes.

[caydenzz]

The fact is we’re human and we plan for today and not tomorrow

[seanuptown]

Less procreation. Humanity should focus on 4 billion by 2118, 3 billion by 2150. Quality is better than quantity, the first global singularity should be the plan for reduced procreation world wide.

[getoutthere]

When people can acknowledge their neighbor or even a coworker, we'll get there. Forget a text message and smart phones, people still need to share ideas verbally

[rad_tee]

Combining science with indigenous knowledge (reciprocity). And understanding that nature rewards symbiosis. That is key.