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Bikes for getting out of poverty.

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  1. i
    Member

    Here is a wonderful documentry by Hans Rosling. I recommend watching it all but what is particularly interesting is between 32-42 minutes there is the story of how the poorest in Mozambique are aspiring to buy bikes to get out of poverty.

    What seems interesting is once families get a bike, they aspire to get a motorbike->car->fly places; the path to materialism, but there's nothing wrong in wanting a washing machine.

    So eliminating poverty is one challenge, the other is for rich countries to find a way to maintain a good quality of life that billions around the world aspire to but do it in a way that does not consume the resources and pollution that we do today. We need a good modern lifestyle that sustains 11 billion people.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "We need a good modern lifestyle that sustains 11 billion people."

    I suspect that wouldn't be what 'we' (in 'the west') would like - not much prospect of bicycle, sewing machine and car (and related infrastructure) for the entire global population.

    How about a 'good post-modern lifestyle'?

    Whatever that might mean!?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. neddie
    Member

    We need a good modern lifestyle that sustains 11 billion people

    No, we need population control. This, however, is the thorn that no political leader will tackle. Even China are watering down their 'one child' rules...

    There is no such thing as 'sustainable growth' [in population]

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. i
    Member

    One of Hans Rosling's main points is that population growth is no longer out of control. We have reached 'peak child'; infant mortality has fallen and families trend to 2 children.

    The quicker we can get the last billion out of poverty the quicker all families have 2 educated children. Thus population can stabilise at 10-11 billion (neglecting war/famine/climate change/pandemic/longevity treatments).

    Taking Hans' point I would say the other big challenge is to find that 'post-modern' lifestyle that allows everyone a good standard of life but is sustainable. And for westerners that means reducing energy use and resource consumption.

    Of course I think it would be better having less than 11 billion people, but that's not going to happen soon in a humane way =(

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. neddie
    Member

    I haven't watched Rosling's docu (yet).

    However, I'm afraid I don't believe it is possible to give everyone on the planet western standards of living in order to end up with a birth rate that results in a stable population.

    • We are already consuming more than one planet's worth per annum.
    • The reason the west has the standard of living it has, is exactly because it takes advantage of cheap labour & cheap resources from poorer nations & we aggressively fight to maintain that status quo (e.g. invasions of sovereign nations over oil)
    • There will always be wars over dwindling resources, thus holding the weaker nations in poverty

    It's a bit like saying, "if only we could build a few more motorways around the congestion points, there would be no more congestion..."

    Except that the population expands to fit the available standard of living. Once we've got rid of poverty, new population would simply move to (currently under-inhabited) more marginal land areas e.g. the Artic, and find themselves in poverty once again. In the Ethiopia famine crisis of the 80s, after massive aid was given, the population exploded from 30m to 70m.

    I'm not saying it needs to be this way. I'm all for eliminating poverty & deprivation. But the world needs to think about the world, and the world's children's children. Both in terms of reducing the population (humanely, by financial incentives) and reducing the output of greenhouse gases (humanely, by financial incentives).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. 559
    Member

    There is also the converse, buying & running a car is detrimental to your financial health.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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