Thursday, October 1, 2009

Florida in 2060 a.d. - Suckfest!

The other day I got hold of this scary report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). It estimates how the land use and population of Florida will change by the year 2060. Right now we're at about 18 million people- crowded as it is. But by 2060 the population is supposed to DOUBLE to 36 million people! That's a whole 'nuther Miami, a whole 'nuther Orlando, a whole 'nuther Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Daytona, Melbourne, Panama City, Key West, etc, etc. Holy crap!!

Picture of the former everglades from rapingmothernature.com...


That's going to be a huge strain on the natural ecosystems that support both human and animal life in the state. Where is our drinking and irrigation water going to come from? Where are we going to put our poop, pollution, and garbage? Will there be anything left of our already-dying coral reefs? Where are the endangered species like panthers, bears, burrowing owls, and gopher tortoises going to live?

The map below shows how almost all the wild, undeveloped lands in the state will be developed by 2060. Pretty much every patch of nature that isn't already designated as a reserve will be converted to human use if trends continue. Dang. We really need to stop population growth and development before it comes to this.



The full report has lots of pretty pictures and juicy info, going into other problems the state will have, like sea level rise and stuff. You should look through the pdf here. It's not too sciency at all.

8 comments:

Frank said...

People have more people. Everyone seems to want to extend there life into the future thru their offspring.
They want their children to have a BETTER life than they have had. The Almish have a different definition of BETTER than a fella from Manhaton. And so life goes on. I personally think Democrats should have less children but the Kennedy family believes the more the marrier.

JSW225 said...

Actually, this past year has shown a net negative population impact on Florida's count. This is the first year that Florida has lost people, due to a lot fewer people coming in, less children, a lot of people leaving and a lot more geriatric deaths. First time its happened in 50 years or so.

http://www.centredaily.com/living/story/1523479.html

James Douglass said...

Frank- Yeah, at some point hopefully we'll realize that for our children to have a better life, we'll have to not have so many of 'em.

JSW- Well, that's a good sign that we might be able to avoid the 2060 scenario. I wouldn't breath easy just yet, though.

Johnny Douglass said...

Yeah James. You should have only two children...soon!

JSW225 said...

But, if this map is true, a small little investment here or there could pay off big in a couple years. Just buy some land in currently undeveloped locations, but will be soon developed.

TonyWind said...

I'm afraid that "having only two children" won't impact the population growth rate because the total fertility rate in the United States estimated for 2008 is 2.1 children per woman. Another, perhaps more relevant factor is the high immigration rate of the US. So how are we going to reduce the latter? By building a 30-feet tall wall along the border with Mexico or by limiting even further the number of lawful immigrants? MMMhhh, both sound like very republican arguments....

James Douglass said...

Dad- I'm working on it. First I need to get a date.

JSW- Yeah. The real-estate bubble may have burst for now, but with the squeeze of overpopulation, demand for land will go up again sooner or later. But if you're buying property in Florida, make sure it's not a piece that will be below sea level by the time you want to pass it on to your grandkids!

Tony- I've also heard that immigration accounts for most of the population growth in the US. The republican impulse to limit immigration is probably related more to paranoia about shifting racial and social demographics than to concern about the environmental impacts of overpopulation. But the current immigration rate is definitely unsustainable, so I grudgingly agree with the repugnicans that SOMETHING needs to be done about it. Seems like we could start by resolving the burecratic nonsense that thwarts legal immigration of educated professionals while allowing desperate folks to come illegally as cheap labor.

Capt. Dave's Sport Fishing said...

As Eliane said on a Sienfeld episode one season.....

"Kids, it's been done to death."

What's the big deal other than having someone younger to wipe your butt when you are 90 yrs old.

GOD HELP FLORIDA!

Gamma rays for welfare recipients!
Jacksonville fishing