Cheryl said;
Well, so far we have about 400 years of coal in Oz, 100 years of oil, and we haven't even gone below the 1km mark for mineral and oil extraction.

Where you are wrong Cheryl is that it will cost more energy to get that
400 years of coal than is contained in the coal.
The same applies to oil.
Aside from that peak coal occurs around 2025 and peak oil occurred in 2008.

Australia is producing just under 50% of what we use and in 10 years
we will be down to 20% of that 50%. Sure it will never run out !
A good thing actually, it can be used for medical plastics and the like.
We just won't be able to afford to burn it as a fuel.
Why ? The magic formula EROEI Energy returned on energy invested.

I doubt if there is a hope in hell in preventing a reduction in world
population. The reason, food production is very energy intense in the
quantities that we presently grow, harvest and transport it.
With energy depletion we will need something like 50 to 100 times the
number of farmers we now have. One offset might be the complete
electrification of farming and transport.
However because of peak coal, it will require geothermal and nuclear
together with reprocessing of nuclear fuel.

No easy answers here.

It is no surprise to find Andrew Whitby is a student of economics, that wretched anti-science discipline that operates in fairyland and not the real world. Sorry Andrew, but there are biophysical limits to resource and population growth. Right now, we're in crisis because the biosphere cannot absorb our wastes and biodiversity is crashing because of pollution and habitat loss. Why is there habitat loss? Because there are too many people needing food and fibre and energy. By all means, grow meat in vats if you must (innovation) but please understand the complexity of the natural world and understand that people are part of it. Dominance of one species (us) simply drives the others to extinction, with the possible exception of jellyfish.

The article lost me at 'Malthus'. The old furphy trotted out for lack of cogent argument about limited resources let alone the impact of human activity on biodiversity and the environment.

The views expressed by the author could be described as "cornucopian", a term which applies to ideas which have an implied assumption of endless bounty and scope for growth. To scientists whose disciplines are rooted in the real world,this belief is similar to a child's wishful belief in Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy.
Dick Smith, in fact, contrary to the author's statement starts in the right place,if he assumes the potential for growth is finite.

Again contrary to what the author says, population growth does relate to slavery in that overpopulation leaves poorer people vulnerable to exploitation and consumption growth is obviously related to population growth in that as population increases, so does consumption unless per capita consumption declines dramatically.

I recorded Dick's doco as I was away at the time. I just watched it today.

The whole discussion on Q&A was redundant and would have been
obviously so if Dick had made the point when he drew the chart of
population and fossil fuels, if he had pointed out that fossil fuels
will decline from about now and population will fall with it.

It is as plain as the nose on your face that population is directly
related to cheap energy as it means cheap food.
Oil depletion, the most important for food production, has already
peaked and in the next 1, 2, 3 years will start declining.
From then on population will start declining, probably with a time lag.

Bazz, you're quite right. Global population will start declining from 2050. The boomers are already dropping off the perch in the west. Spot on re energy individual energy use although there has been an increase in carbon emissions by corporations.

Should we roll back capitalism because we're infested with greedy corporations? Throw the baby out with the bathwater. Hell yes, say the pinky misanthrope anti-pops. That'll certainly make sure we're in a Year Zero Cambodian trading position.

Where do these people come from?

At no time here, on OLO or other media has anyone - and I mean anyone - made a definitive and scientific connection between population increase and food stock depletion before 2050.

It's astounding that people even consider that as it is plainly and fundamentally not true. Eat hearty. Have a second serve.

If you want, give $20 to an international aid agency and do something positive instead of trying to sterlize the Indian, Asian and African people or rant on about boat loads of ravenous Muslims arriving with revolution in their stomachs or knocking back international students.

The anti-pops like to say that one day we'll run out of ore, nickel, cobalt, oil, coal, etc. Guess what? We know that. Does it mean the end of the world? Could be. But I take considerable satisfaction that if we all go together when we go, we'll take you with us.