[LMB] [OT] May I do this?

[M Traber]

James Nicoll wrote:
> OK, here's the question. No offense to anyone intended.
> 
>     Suppose you are told the Earth of AD 2300 has the following
> characteristics:
> 
>> No space exploitation beyond information retrieval.
>>
>>         36 billion people (Africa ~ 22%, Asia ~ 57%, Latin
>> America and Caribbean ~ 9%, North America 6%, Europe ~ 6%,
>> Oceania ~ ha!). Age distribution is fairly flat, distributed
>> mainly between 0 and 100 years (although a minority of the
>> population is older than 100 years of age).
>>
>>         What would you expect such a world to be like?
>> (Explain your reasoning.)


Heavy population.

I see a "green" world - very stringent controls on emissions of various 
sorts [air, water, particulates, solid waste] heavy reliance on 
recycling. Instead of petroleum products or stopgap electric hybrids we 
might frex see main reliance on biodiesel [http://www.biodieselhomekit.com/]
If we can whip the air pollution aspect of infernal combustion, or 
improve it to where the particulates are almost nonexistant.

I see more of a nanny government, with health maintenance and genetic 
research making certain issues a thing of the past. COntrol on diet and 
exercise might whip heart issues, stem cell research providing 
replacement of lesser effective treatments for certain things, and 
cloning of internal organs aiding things like diabetes or other organ 
issues.

I see betan style population control, a flat population may mean that 
replacement only is allowed. This goes with the economic control to 
ensure that everyone has the same chances available. More dependance on 
mechanical/robotic 'manual labor'may exist or even an Huxlian stratified 
society with the alphas in control all the way down to the gammas as 
'slave labor' I do not however see cloning replacing the birth process.

Population may well be centered in 'plexes with all available land and 
much of the ocean used for food and resource production. A few nature 
reserves and entertainment resorts would have to be scattered around, 
but I really do not see much in the way of wildlife outside of zoos or 
preserves, and remote deep ocean.

Imagine something sort of like farmer in the sky control of calories, 
betan reproduction control, with klein station Helga healthcare 
nannying, azimovian steel cave type living plexes ....or nivens 
patchwork girl as an answer to crime [you do the crime, you get parted 
out for spare parts...]