What If 200 Million People Went Missing....?

I've put this in the Disaster Conspiracies forum because I found the statistical information given in the linked article fascinating. Despite the subject matter of the article's commentary, I wanted to share the science behind the sudden disappearance of 200 million people & how that would affect our current population and environment.

I will only be quoting the external text that I thought was most interesting based on the sudden disappearance of 200 million people:

It's safe to say the world would take notice — but the effects of such a mass disappearance would depend on where [these people] were concentrated.
"With a population of about 7 billion and aiming now to go somewhere in the vicinity of 9 billion, 200 million is not very big," said Paul Ehrlich, a professor at Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology and author of "The Population Bomb" (Sierra Club-Ballantine, 1968). "It's roughly three years of growth."

The disappearance of 200 million people would be almost quadruple the number of those who die each year, which according to CIA World Factbook numbers, comes to about 56.6 million. It would dwarf the 230,000-plus death toll of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Even the single deadliest day in history, the Shaanxi earthquake in 1556 that killed an estimated 830,000 people in China, would pale in comparison. One of the most devastating loses of human life in history, the Black Death or bubonic plague, may have killed up to 200 million people — in a century. (*emphasis mine)

But spread across the globe today, the disappearance of 200 million people (roughly 3 percent of the world's population) might not have major ecological impacts, Ehrlich told LiveScience. On the other hand, if [they] were concentrated in America, the effect would be huge, he said.

"Two hundred million fewer Americans would have a big impact on the globe as a whole," Ehrlich said.

That's because Americans consume a disproportionate amount of global resources, Ehrlich said. As of 2009, for example, the United States consumed about 25 percent of the world's petroleum despite boasting only about 5 percent of the world's population.

A loss of two-thirds of the American population would also have a large effect on U.S. environmental policy, Ehrlich said, though what that would mean for the planet depends on who [disappears]. If those left behind were mostly climate-change believers, Ehrlich said, you might see renewed support for greenhouse gas reduction. Likewise, the urban/rural split of those left behind might alter society. If urbanites were more likely to get taken, Ehrlich said, you might see a return to medium-size farms rather than industrial agriculture designed to bring massive amounts of food to areas that grow little of their own.

But perhaps the most daunting challenge after the disappearance of 200 million people would be the psychological one.

No economic model can account for the loss of friends and family members, said Brooks.
"People need social connectedness," said Josh Klapow, a clinical psychologist at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Even after Hurricane Katrina, he said, residents who stayed in New Orleans reported a loss of community closeness, because so many people decided not to return. Cities like Galveston, Texas, which lost 15 percent of its population after Hurricane Ike hit in 2008, still struggle with abandoned buildings and the loss of the tax base.

What If 200 Million People Went Missing....

So, aside from the doomsday subject matter of the article I thought the commentary was interesting and worth sharing. Especially in light of the possibility of some sort of mega-catastrophe that we could never really be fully prepared for.
Having said that, from what I understand, 200 million out of 7 billion may not have such a resounding impact. However 200 million Americans would affect the entire world??
That's insane.

If these people happened to be all everyday meet-eaters, four-wheel drivers, non-recycling, pet owners, obese and frequent flyers....well then, sorry....he probably is very right

There are about 500 Million users on Face Book alone so a loss of 200 million isn't very much and probably wouldn't have much of a ripple around the World IMO.

However, if the 200 million came directly from Face Book, it could be a positive move.

200 million less christians would make me very happy. I would feel the need to throw a party if it happened.

SORRY I meant meat-eaters...need to get my key board closer

2300 per day go missing in the USA alone.

missing does not mean gone from the rock.

do you suggest, missing like in abduction by aliens...oh yeah and possibly they return with an improved sense of decency regarding their behaviour as consumers

The best theory I herd was from a caller on Coast to Coast.
He said that TPTB would blame it on alien abductions.

Originally posted by zroth
2300 per day go missing in the USA alone.

missing does not mean gone from the rock.

\

The meaning of "missing" for the purposes of the information given in the article is as in dead, gone forever, or the equivalent of permanently gone from the population.

reply to post by Condemned0625


Okay.
Well, thanks for sharing...I guess...

I assume the OP is referring to a rapture event here. In that case, with all of the Fundamental Christians gone from Earth, well then! The rest of us would have our pick of their homes and possessions, cars, and so on. And the really good thing would be all of the Jobs that would not be open. Some of the rest of us could have a job now. The Churches could be turned into night clubs, live Rock music and the best of whiskey, plenty of room for dancing. Best of all no more early morning knocks on the door from people trying to save our souls.

Originally posted by autowrench
I assume the OP is referring to a rapture event here. In that case, with all of the Fundamental Christians gone from Earth, well then! The rest of us would have our pick of their homes and possessions, cars, and so on. And the really good thing would be all of the Jobs that would not be open. Some of the rest of us could have a job now. The Churches could be turned into night clubs, live Rock music and the best of whiskey, plenty of room for dancing. Best of all no more early morning knocks on the door from people trying to save our souls.

Here, I'll go ahead and repost what I said in my OP just in case you missed it:

Despite the subject matter of the article's commentary, I wanted to share the science behind the sudden disappearance of 200 million people & how that would affect our current population and environment.

So, aside from the doomsday subject matter of the article I thought the commentary was interesting and worth sharing.

How many people and corporations in our highly developed rich countries in the northern hemisphere are going to freely give up behaviour patterns which we all long know are not sustainable from an environmental point of view, loose out on material profit in order to benefit the whole of humanity? We think we are such a developed culture and so spiritual and we like our burgers (most meat eaters would probably starve if they would have to get the meat by their own means like hunting) and food from the big super-market and our cars and we think it is our natural born right never to be changed, and some day there will be a bad bad awakening, instead of using knowledge for the good of all we use it to go to war and kill our own, we are less developed then any animal species (no wonder whales commit mass suicide seen what developed mankind has done to the oceans) and a plague for the planet, and we even dare to call ourselves the Fist World

reply to post by stupid girl


ok then 70,000 people die everyday on earth

reply to post by starseedflower


Well, I do think highly in touch spiritual people are responding. It shows in : 1. The sheer numbers very depressed. Montreal Canada's 2nd city, has 50% of the population on antidepressants.
2. If you look at the suicide rates, they are soaring. This is becaue the people that are naturally generous,non-self centered, and kind are out competed in an economic system that promotes the worst of us,the most cruel and selfish,and blasts citizens with images,ads,and movies that tell them they are wrong for being caring individuals,or that caring indiviiduals are naive or will not be strng enough to survive, and that those who are generous help destroy society- with all the anti charity,anti helping the poor ideas expressed on a daily basis.
3.even if you are kind and happen to make it in the corporate world- you have to behave contrary to your nature....
So, think about this and get back to me

reply to post by starseedflower


I'll try to be polite because you are newer here, but to be blunt, your post adds nothing to the discussion outside of you freely admitting that you are so heartless that you could care less if millions of people died simply because they don't live a lifestyle you agree with. That makes you an idiot in my opinion.

Now back on topic......... Yes, Americans do consume more & so it does make sense that it would be a larger impact if a mass death took place here verses another country. The flaw I see in the article is that it seems to assume that it would lower world consumtion in the long term when I believe another country would just indulge in the "surplus" of resources negating any real impact.

200nillion people die every year?? or maybe less i dont friggin know the numbers okay?

but alot of people die every year...rather more people die from natural causes than wars

The tragic part of this notion is that it hints that we pretty much have to turn to mass death as a hypothetical solution to the world's economic problems. What if people were to simply change their habits en masse? I think that'd have the same impact.

Originally posted by CrazyBear
200nillion people die every year?? or maybe less i dont friggin know the numbers okay?

but alot of people die every year...rather more people die from natural causes than wars

A lot of people are born every year too. I googled the figure and it's around 56,597,034 deaths per annum. I'd say the birth rates are very similar, if not in excess, of that number.

reply to post by stupid girl


Would these people be random sex/age/location?
Would they have anything in common? (other than being presumably human)

So long as those 200 million were only banksters, politicians, elite, etc... I don't see any impact whatsoever.

Yes, I like to dream big.