"peak everything"

[Tartar Horde]

The news is that demand for Cotton has now outstripped production, just like many other commodities we are starting to see the limits to growth, as predicted by the club of Rome and recent NASA papers. Having an ever expanding growth paradigm on a world with finite resources is lunacy.

[bigpaul]

more and more people using less and less resources, it had to happen.

[Mortblanc]

No, the world will not end in a huge cotton crash with thousands of naked people lying dead on the roadside due to lack of cotton.

The solution is a simple one.

The demand has outstripped the production.

The price per unit will rise and each individual, who can not afford the higher price, will have fewer garments made from cotton.

Just today I was walking through a large discount chain store and was appalled that the price of my favorite boxer shorts had risen to $12 US for five pair.

Now, reading of this peak cotton crisis I vow to do my part to alleviate the problem an will henceforth go commando!

[iaaems]

It does seem, to me at least, that the 'answer' to a lot of 'our problems' lies firmly with us as a whole.
We seem to produce vast amounts of everything when with a little thought it would be preferable to produce less and improve the quality rather than the quantity. Then there would be ample supplies of everything.
The answer to 'our problems' would seem to be - use a condom - and give more thought to the seemingly rapacious increase in the world population.

[Skean Dhude]

Iaaems, The rise in the world population is in the areas that can least afford it.

In the olden days, just a few decades ago the growth was kept in check by these people starving to death. Now with our SJWs all over this and keeping them fed we have more and more being kept alive and thus consuming more.

A few decades ago Ethiopia and China were in trouble. We didn't like the Chinese so we didn't help them but we fed the Ethiopians. Next year the Ethiopians were back with more hands out because we had fed and tended to them but the Chinese had to tighten their belts. Now compare Ethiopia and China. Ethiopia is still a basket case while China is now one of the few superpowers on this planet.

We do the same internally by feeding our non productive class. Consuming and non contributing.

It couldn't go on forever and it appears that the cracks are starting to widen now.

[Mortblanc]

The fact is that there is no "peak cotton" or "peak much of anything else" for that matter.

The US is a huge cotton producer and our government PAYS PEOPLE NOT TO PRODUCE COTTON !!!!

I have several friends who are large farmers and make a very good income by NOT planting cotton, tobacco or corn and NOT raising beef (cow farts cause global warming). One of them gets a separate check from the government for not plating each crop and allowing his land to lie fallow that totals to around $100,000 per year.

If we really had a cotton shortage we would do two things;

1. we would stop paying people not to grow cotton.
2. we would stop poking large wads of it into the top of aspirin bottles.

[bigpaul]

jeez, are you still getting pills in bottles? we get them over here in little foil packets!!

[CharlesHarris]

Then there are people of misguided compassion who say that it is racist to put cotton batting into the tops of pill bottles, because when certain ethic groups must PICK COTTON to get at their pills bought with their government EBT card, they feel the process is demeaning...

I suppose then there IS a place for shrink wrapped, bubble packed and foil wrapped individual pills sold by the dozen per $ instead of in bulk bottles of 1000 for $4 at Wally World...

[Tibbs735]

Peak phosphorus is one to watch as well. Also any of the key nutrients in your standard highly potent NPK fertilizer (Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) could become harder and harder to produce just as a result of rising fuel costs. Additionally phosphorus is mined from a few countries around the world so local shocks could limit production.

Also I have heard rumblings over production problems with metals such as lead, gold and silver due to over regulation and mining disasters.

[Mortblanc]

What's your suggestion?

A more balanced and sustainable approach?

But no suffering, shortages or austerity allowed, right?