How to colonise the galaxy

[Harpo]

Astronomers model how humanity could colonize the Milky Way

The teams are planning way, way, way in advance.

futurism.com

 

[RJM Corbet]

Humanity could start with saving the Amazon rainforest, cleaning up plastic, planting trees and terraforming the Sahara desert, before trying to colonize anywhere else, imo ...

 

[IAmTR]

Humanity could start with saving the Amazon rainforest, cleaning up plastic, planting trees and terraforming the Sahara desert, before trying to colonize anywhere else, imo ...

Unfortunately colonizing another planet is something we absolutely have to do eventually. We are already facing overpopulation on Earth and it's only a matter of time before this planet cannot sustain our population no matter what we do.

 

[RJM Corbet]

Like I said, if we don't deal with the stuff needs doing here, there won't be any humanity to colonize anything ...

 

[MikeAnderson]

Already investing in stock with Weylan Yutani Corporation. Don't let the fact occasionally settlers who work for us have acid spitting critters burst out of their chest; we're building better worlds.

 

[Vertigo]

Unfortunately colonizing another planet is something we absolutely have to do eventually. We are already facing overpopulation on Earth and it's only a matter of time before this planet cannot sustain our population no matter what we do.

I really don't see how you could hope to deal with over population on Earth through colonisation. The figures just don't stack up. The world population is, I believe, currently growing at a rate of around 80 million per year. So in order to just keep the population stable never mind reduce it you'd have to ship out almost a quarter of a million people to the colonies every single day. Realistically that's just not going to happen. If the growth rate was low enough (it is, after all, falling) to make shipping them off to colonies at the same rate practical then I don't think the growth rate would be a issue! We must control our population but colonisation will never make any significant impact on it. Take a look at the colonisation of north America, I doubt that it made the slightest impact on the population of Europe.

 

[IAmTR]

I really don't see how you could hope to deal with over population on Earth through colonisation. The figures just don't stack up. The world population is, I believe, currently growing at a rate of around 80 million per year. So in order to just keep the population stable never mind reduce it you'd have to ship out almost a quarter of a million people to the colonies every single day. Realistically that's just not going to happen. If the growth rate was low enough (it is, after all, falling) to make shipping them off to colonies at the same rate practical then I don't think the growth rate would be a issue! We must control our population but colonisation will never make any significant impact on it. Take a look at the colonisation of north America, I doubt that it made the slightest impact on the population of Europe.

You misunderstand me. Eventually this planet will not sustain us. For the human race to survive we need new homes and resources. It's not about shipping the population away. It's about shipping population away, producing and using new resources from a different source, and if necessary to have a new home for humans if Earth becomes uninhabitable for one of many possible reasons.

 

[-K2-]

I really don't see how you could hope to deal with over population on Earth through colonisation. The figures just don't stack up. The world population is, I believe, currently growing at a rate of around 80 million per year. So in order to just keep the population stable never mind reduce it you'd have to ship out almost a quarter of a million people to the colonies every single day. Realistically that's just not going to happen. If the growth rate was low enough (it is, after all, falling) to make shipping them off to colonies at the same rate practical then I don't think the growth rate would be a issue! We must control our population but colonisation will never make any significant impact on it. Take a look at the colonisation of north America, I doubt that it made the slightest impact on the population of Europe.

There is always a solution...
USDA Estimated Energy Daily Sedentary Caloric Intake Requirements:
(for moderately-active and active requirements, see tables 63b and 63c)
Age 5: M=1,200/F=1,200, Age 10: M=1,600/F=1,400, Age 15: M=2,200/F=1,800
Age 21: M=2,400/F=2,000, Age 41: M=2,200/F=1,800, Age 61: M=2,000/F=1,600
Projected Mean: <18 : 1,567, >18 : 2,000, calc. avg.: = 1,783.5
Average Adult Caloric Value: 110,000-81,500 calories, calc. avg.: 95,750
Initial Calculated Average Result: 95,750/1,783.5 = 53.7
Estimated DSCIR nutritional yield: 80,000,000 x 53.7 = 4,296,000,000

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K2