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October 15, 2007

Peak Whale Theory

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From the archives of the Coyote Broadsheet dated April 17, 1870: One of Coyote Blog's distant relatives explains the importance of addressing the United States' every growing population and unsustainable consumption. There is no way resources can support America's population as it reaches an astronomical 40 million souls.*

Take the issue of transportation. Currently there are over 11 million horses in this country, the feeding and care of which constitute a significant part of our economy. A population of 250 million would imply the need for nearly 70 million horses in this country, and this is even before one considers the fact that "horse intensity", or the average number of horses per family, has been increasing steadily over the last several decades. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to assume that so many people might need 100 million horses to fulfill all their transportation needs. There is just no way this admittedly bountiful nation could support 100 million horses. The disposal of their manure alone would create an environmental problem of unprecedented magnitude.

* No Mo Uro elaborates on the point in a comment at Rantburg.

In the 1830's, Nantucket was the wealthiest town in the U.S. and one of the wealthiest in the world. By the 1850's, it was so poor that the town government didn't even bother to collect taxes. The difference? Petroleum, which displaced whale oil as a lamp fuel.

The oil ticks in the ME should take notice.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at October 15, 2007 07:07 AM

Comments

We need to redefine "horse intensity" in order to bring it into regular use. It's got a lovely ring to it.

Posted by: cm [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 15, 2007 09:00 AM

Brilliant!

Posted by: Dean Esmay [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 16, 2007 09:06 PM

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