I was in China myself in '79 but was only young, my failing memory mainly recalls the many many people (most riding bicycles), the oppressive heat, Happy Coats and the yummy food. And the planes - I actually thought I was going to die.
And yes I agree, more people = more pollution for those people to live in. But I reckon nature will always endure.
In 1918 the worlds population was 1.8 billion. 1918 saw the end of WW1, total deaths 16.5 million. 1918 also saw a pandemic called Spanish Flu, which infected 1/3 of the worlds population and killed between 50 and 100 million in 2 and a half years.
Importantly imo, both events had a large impact on world population, not just because of the number dead, but because both events killed young adults in their "prime breeding age". The Spanish Flu killed healthy young adults and even spread to the arctic, but most of the elderly and very young survived.
Anyway I'm rambling lol, my point is that overpopulation will be cured, or balanced, by nature. Be it war, sickness, a catastrophic planetary event, or by populating Mars, everything will always return to the balance point, like the low point of a pendulum, or the share price & the SMA :)
Some people may not regard war as something that is "natural", but we humans are part of nature and so is everything we do. We are meant to be here, and we are part of the natural cycle.
Placing a monetary tax on humans that are doing what they're meant to do, is nothing but a cheap grab for money. It will have a large impact on the people, but no impact on the environment.
I'm also concerned that the next record Summer we have may see daily maximums beyond the liveable limits of many people, because many more people will exceed those limits due to Gillards tax.
If the entire population of Australia (a tiny 0.3% of the world) is wiped out because nobody can afford electricity under the oppressive DGT (Dishonest Gillard Tax), it will have very little impact on the worlds population, and therefore very little impact on global C02 emissions :)
