Posted by Loudmouth, Saturday, 8 December 2018 2:42:55 PM
You suggest that no amount of tree-planting etc. will soak up the CO2 already in the atmosphere

Answer- It's not just the CO2 already there but the CO2 being produced "year on year". There are too many people on Earth and it will continue to grow until 2200 and will plateau at about 12 Billion- we'll be above 10 Billion by the end of 2100. In 2003 half India's (Pyramid shaped) population was under the age of 15. India currently produces 4 children per woman so the population already at about 1.3 billion looks like it will reach 2 billion in less than 30 years assuming current indicators. Third world countries I understand tend to produce more CO2 per capita than First World countries.

China's (hour glass shaped) population will decrease in the next 30 years due to their one child policy. India needs to adopt a one child policy or suffer huge increases in population density and threaten the bordering countries.

It's going to be difficult to reduce Australia's greenhouse gases while our population is increasing.

CM China no longer has a one child policy
However it and other nearby countries are about to suffer because of that policy
Subcontinent preference for sons leave a massive shortage of brides
2200 if we make it, will see us using new fuels some we as yet never dreamed of

Posted by Belly, Saturday, 8 December 2018 6:27:00 PM
However it and other nearby countries are about to suffer because of that policy. Subcontinent preference for sons leave a massive shortage of brides.

Answer 1- Yes- I agree some elements could have been perhaps managed better- but action is better than inaction. There will be some lonely people- but its better than starving people- if they had have done something earlier the impact would have been less. It will still cause the intended consequence of a reduction of population. I'm proud of China for having the courage to fix their own problems- rather than letting their problems become the worlds problems. Like you said there will be some impact on the surrounding countries but an order of magnitude less than without the policy. There will be a lot of happy men with young wives in sixteen years time.

Posted by Belly, Saturday, 8 December 2018 6:27:00 PM
2200 if we make it, will see us using new fuels some we as yet never dreamed of.

Answer 2- Most of the growth will happen in the next 80 years till 2100 if the trend continues. If we look back 80 years it will give us an idea of the changes we will be likely to see in the next 80 years.
Patrick Deneen believes that the reason we are in the position we are now vs environmental problems is because of liberalism and our free use and desire to control nature- freedom to have children- free business- free consumerism- free use of land- a limitless bounty. Deneen believes that changes to the damage done to the environment will only occur with a change in attitude to classical conservatism and responsibility. He says we have taken 500 years to get to this point and so it will take a long time to claw back our desires to more realistic and stable states

CM as in all things the once one child policy, and nearby nations wishing only for boy children brings troubling results
Right now a dreadful trade in sex workers is a blot on the subcontinent
No bride is not just a few men being lonely, in the end we are going to be talking about millions
Then because of those impacts yet another fall,in population numbers should come

Belly- With respect- Australia will likely be in a much worse situation than China in 30 years time.

Funny how climate scientists can predict 10, 20 or more years into the future, climate weather, BUT the meteorologists often can't even get the weather right 1 day in advance.