[eclipse]

Yes, and I've passed it on to politicians, theologians, (bible college lecturers), and everyone in between. I promote it on my website, and understand the concepts. I have watched it about 10 times, and railed against the stupidity of growth in various publications and website forums. I have even argued with church clients of ours (we are graphic designers and have quite a few church organizations). You don't get more committed than when you are prepared to bite the hand that feeds you.

But there are answers that will stabilize population growth, and they are promoted on Crude Impact. Have you seen Crude Impact?

[peripato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ave you seen Crude Impact?

[rattleshirt]

I tell my friends and people who might show up at my door for help and try to convince them to prepare. Otherwise I pretty much keep my mouth shut in the real world.

[eclipse]

I include the SPA policy platform below.
As for the rest of your post, rationing will simply have to be enforced by governments, just as in a war-time economy. X generation and Y generation obviously didn't spend enough time chatting with their grandparents about the wars.

Rationing can kick in very quickly.
Governments can change priorities and cultures very quickly.
Lester Brown recommends a "war time economy" as does Richard Heinberg. I think most of us would love to see the EMERGENCY funding of rail and renewables as we rezone our cities for future generations.

So here's the thing. Maybe our governments simply won't do anything until the crisis hits (I buy Tom Whipple's argument on this matter.) I have helped present material to Members of the NSW Legislative Council — and 2 years later hardly anything has changed. Why bother? To seed the meme. To get the idea out there that this crisis is geological, not some political or terrorism act by "those people over there who don't like us very much". To start the discussion around the ideas that there are actually limits. To bring the public and politicians up to speed on this. To have a framework of thinking that can help once the crisis hits.

At least that's why I'm here. If we are all destined for Mad Max, why on earth waste time here? Why not just sit back and "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die"? If anyone's convinced that we are all going to starve to death or die fighting over the jelly beans down at the mall, then why the heck would you want to waste time on this forum?

I don't get that. Some people just like to sit around bitching.
Here's some recommendations from "Sustainable Population Australia" who are sponsored by global warming author and Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery.

SPA recommends:
That the Federal Government:

1. include a Minister for Population and Environment in Federal Cabinet, rather than a Minister for Immigration, recognising that immigration is but a sub-set of the broader issue of population;
2. implement an integrated population policy that is based on environmental sustainability and encompasses immigrant intake, natural increase, biodiversity protection, aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, tourism, foreign aid, internal migration, and education;
3. in developing this population policy, examine the consequences of different levels of projected populations and resource consumption on quality of life including affordable housing, clean air and water, and access to recreational areas such as beaches;
4. ratifiy the Program of Action arising out of the UN International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994;
5. establish and fund an Institute for Sustainability Research that will address all environmental, social and economic aspects of population;
6. end the use of the migration program as a mechanism to increase Australia’s population. [Ultimately, our immigration program should be no larger than emigration. A reduced immigration program should maintain the humanitarian stream as well as the spouse and the aged parent categories. When migrants are accepted for non-humanitarian reasons, most of the costs of resettlement should be born by the migrants themselves];
7. give higher priority to the Humanitarian Program within this overall reduced migration program, focussing on those who cannot be supported by direct aid in their own countries or in countries of refuge, and on environmental refugees, such as those from South Pacific most at risk of inundation from global warming;
8. ensure that, within the Skills stream, Australia imports only those with expertise not available in Australia, and does not "poach" skilled workers from developing countries that cannot afford to lose their educated citizens;
9. tighten visa requirements substantially, particularly in the area of information and communication technology;
10. adopt an integrated population, training and labour market strategy;
11. ensure that Australia's educational and training institutions provide all the skills needed for the functioning of the economy and for the welfare of its citizens to minimise the need to import skilled workers;
12. adopt social and taxation policies e.g. maternity allowances, that allow couples to provide adequately for their children but at the same time discourage them from having more than two children;
13. through taxation and housing policies, ameliorate the present situation where land speculators reap excessive profits from population growth;
14. increase Australia's overseas development assistance (ODA) to the 0.7 per cent of GDP, or more;
15. ensure that the family planning component within ODA is at least 4 per cent, and that greater priority is given to other measures that reduce the birth rate, particularly primary health care and the education of women;
16. while recognising the right of asylum seekers to enter our territory under the 1951 Refugee Convention and other international agreements, maintain measures to deter those who do not qualify as refugees under international law or measures to discourage the pre-emption of official channels for gaining refugee status;
17. support humane and expeditious processing of asylum seekers’ claims according to international human rights laws and agreements;
18. take steps to reduce our national economic dependence on tourism, recognising its vulnerability to rises in the world price of oil and the pollution caused by air and road travel;
19. adopt a consumption strategy that will encourage lower levels of resource and energy use while retaining a reasonable standard of living;
20. provide incentives for energy efficiency to reduce Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions and thus its ecological footprint;
21. legislate to remove the stimulus to domestic consumption by removing tax deductibility on commercial advertising;
22. ensure that sex education programs in Australia are adequately funded and that a wide variety of contraceptive measures are available and affordable to all who need them;
23. end pro-natalist policies including such initiatives as the baby bonus;
24. promote the education of children about ecological footprints and sustainability in general;
25. count New Zealanders in the official migration program, or, where migration is positive in the direction of Australia under the Trans-Tasman Agreement, an equivalent number is deducted from the non-humanitarian migration program;
26. ensure that Australia's population growth meets ESD principles as per the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (NSESD) thereby protecting ecological processes and maintaining intragenerational and intergenerational equity;
27. ensure that the Precautionary Principle is applied with respect to Australia’s population growth;
28. reverse its decision to allow employers to recruit overseas apprentices and instead actively facilitates sufficient apprenticeships within Australia to adequately supply the needs of employers;
29. prosecute and penalise employers who knowingly or negligently employ illegal immigrants.

Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)

* Despite a promised increase in ODA of $4 billion a year by 2010, Australia still falls far short of the UNrecommended 0.7 per cent of GNI (gross national income) for overseas development assistance, which a number of Scandinavian countries do meet.29
* In order to finance the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Program of Action, donors need to allocate four percent of ODA to ICPD activities, based on the minimum allocation of 0.7 percent of GNI. Australia’s allocation has recently increased from 2.6 to 4.3 per cent, but because total ODA is less than half the recommended 0.7 per cent of GNI, the total amount going to ICPD activities is half what it should be.
* Well-directed aid can reduce the push factors that force people to emigrate.
* Greater distribution of wealth through various means including ODA is not only essential for humanitarian reasons but should reduce the threat of terrorism.

http://population.org.au/solutions/index.html

[peripato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')f anyone's convinced that we are all going to starve to death or die fighting over the jelly beans down at the mall, then why the heck would you want to waste time on this forum?

[eclipse]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')Any program that tries to grow us out of our growth induced predicament; doesn't that just seem muddle-headed to you?

[peripato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'ve quoted an anti-growth policy, and yet you insult me with accusations of "growing our way" out of it? Where the heck do you get that?