Jeaunsetalk

Dirty Rotten Swine Flu…..

It’s interesting to contemplate the possibility of a global pandemic (GP)of killer flu because of the all the global catastrophe scenarios commonly banded about it is probably the most likely and is one that is both more ‘ecologically correct’ than a nuclear conflagration and less traumatic than say, a meteorite impact.
Consider: What are the most pressing issues that are facing mankind/the environment?

Overpopulation?
Pollution?
Dwindling resources?
Environmental degradation?
Global warming?
Energy shortages?
Etc

All of these things will be sorted, at a stroke, by culling a significant proportion of the worlds human population.

It is a well known principle of population dynamics that, in a stable ecosystem, populations of individual species are subject to chaotic variation and sudden catastrophic declines. Take moths and their various associated species of parasitic wasps for example. The parasite’s population builds to such a level that virtually all of the moth individuals are wiped out, resulting in a sudden crash in the population of the parasite. This allows the moth population to build once again until, well, you get the picture……..

Therefore, a so called global pandemic, in terms of the overall ecosystem, or Gaia if you prefer, is an expected and entirely natural phenomenon that is likely to occur when average population density reaches a certain critical level, indeed, it would be decidedly odd if it did not happen…..

Having accepted GP as inevitable, it is interesting to try to ponder the effects. Clearly they will be directly related to the efficiency of the virus and/or the inadequacies of our defenses. A ten percent cull would clearly have very different results to a 90% cull but there will certainly be some common factors. In order to attempt some reasonable predictions, I think that the consequences should be divided into, social, political, cultural and ecological components, each being examined separately but within a framework that recognizes that all are interconnected.

I’d love to make a start on this right now but unfortunately I have work to do and so would invite you to suggest things that I have missed ( bound to be loads ) and your own suggestions and thoughts.

More later – and that’s a promise.

Jeaunse