[freefall]

It dawned on me a few months ago that one remedy to PO is to cull the global population. For example h5n1 with human to human transmission could reduce the stresses placed on our energy supplies due to the associated fatalities.

some people think HIV was man made and released to slow our ever rising global population (see nssm200). Who knows. If governments throughout the world are facing failure and collapse, then would'nt a global cull be tempting?

[TreeFarmer]

You would need to kill off a billion people to make a dent that lasts for an appreciable amount of time.

FWIW, HIV first appeard in the 1960's, we could not engineer a virus then and we can't engineer one now.

TF

[Homesteader]

google population control and see what you find.

[Cashmere]

TF, I agree with your conclusion that HIV was not intentionally released by mankind.

But I don't agree that "engineering" a virus would be required.

The better question is, "when was the technology available to isolate a monkey virus on human cells?"

Because as soon as they can do that, then they have the means to infect humans with primate analogs. While not all direct infections would amount to anything, certainly, with enough time and effort, a virulent strain of fatal virus could be communicated to humans.

[Kaj]

The most efficient way of slowing growth is through the education of women in the third world. It's maybe not a total solution but I am amazed this isn't discussed more on this site.

[mos6507]

More people who want to be this guy:

[Ferretlover]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kaj', '[')b] through the education of women in the third world.

[Eli]

Listen, it is a big problem we are facing, really there are just too damn many of us.

But if billions of us must die, I am certain our noble leaders will find a way to make it happen.

[jboogy]

There's one very big problem with bio-weapons, and thankfully TPTB have been thoroughly de-briefed and convinced of it's danger. Cells mutate, and no one knows the potentially devastating consequences that could be unleashed were engineered viruses to be released.
How can you be assured of containing a virus that starts mutating and decides to go airborne? "I am legend" scenario would be a very real possibility.
All the major powers have natural and engineered "superbugs" in their labs, that's a given. But, they are there to be transported and released in rival countries, only in the event that your own population is being decimated due to either natural plague or as a response to a 1st strike biological attack. No-one will 1st strike with communicable plague. The blowback is truly unknowable in scale of both numbers and virulence.
I can conceive of sufficient evil in our elected leaders that would make such an option thinkable, were it not for the potential unintended consequences. But only a severly psychotic schizoid, would risk his own neck in order to reduce the worlds population.

[Homesteader]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ferretlover', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kaj', '[')b] through the education of women in the third world.

[peaker_2005]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TreeFarmer', 'Y')ou would need to kill off a billion people to make a dent that lasts for an appreciable amount of time.

FWIW, HIV first appeard in the 1960's, we could not engineer a virus then and we can't engineer one now.

TF

[Plantagenet]

Sounds like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are scheduled for a return run......

War.........Pestilence........Famine.......Death

[BigTex]

Bird flu mutation allowing easy human to human transmission WILL happen.

It's so certain that it's not even what I would call a "black swan" event.

It will, however, hit the world like a black swan event.

To me, it's the closest competition to peak oil when it comes to predictable doom scenarios (and in a peculiar way could actually mitigate peak oil fallout in many ways).

The Barenaked Ladies sang about it. Remember that song with the line about "Chinese chicken"?

That was a reference to bird flu.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Homesteader', '
')That is fine as far as it goes.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'M')ore people who want to be this guy:

[ANewHuman]

Bird Flu will kill in the millions, maybe in the early 100s of millions, but really, it's nothing. Neutron bombs, water poisoning, crop culling, all these methods can be used to kill people within days to weeks.

Water is probably the best, no one will notice really if it's poisoned and if they do, they will have to get water from other sources - meaning in 3 days most of them will be dead.

[BigTex]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ANewHuman', 'B')ird Flu will kill in the millions, maybe in the early 100s of millions, but really, it's nothing.

[bodigami]

...such a homogeneous genetic population; such vurnerable to virus and bacteria. I'm actually a bit surprised that there have not being massive deaths due to diseases in human population... I guess our medicine allowed this to build up and attack all at once (same diseases, now with better protection against our medicine plus some new diseases).

[freefall]

Nuetron bombs would be efficient mein fuhrer

That said, If they rocked the boat like that we would throw them out. It would be against their interests. A nasty microbial agent quitely introduced would not rock their boat but could meet their needs.

I also feel that a bird flu 'attack' would be launched in a country like china. To me it makes sense. Its eating up resources, has a less than great healthcare system and I guess it would be highly efficient if launched there. The west could hide behind a modern healthcare system. The 'rest' would presumably be doomed.

[bodigami]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('freefall', 'N')uetron bombs would be efficient mein fuhrer

That said, If they rocked the boat like that we would throw them out. It would be against their interests. A nasty microbial agent quitely introduced would not rock their boat but could meet their needs.

I also feel that a bird flu 'attack' would be launched in a country like china. To me it makes sense. Its eating up resources, has a less than great healthcare system and I guess it would be highly efficient if launched there. The west could hide behind a modern healthcare system. The 'rest' would presumably be doomed.