Canadian demographer

Liberal Leader Will Hodgman's idea of pushing up Tasmania's population from 512,000 to 650,000 by the year 2050 has started a predictable bidding war, with Housing Industry Association's Stuart Clues, weighing in with a proposal for one million by the year 2050. Tasmania is currently a destination for Australian refugees from the unpleasant effects of turbo-charged population growth in Western Australia and other mainland states, so no-one in government or the property development industry is likely to ask Tasmanian residents what they think. Meanwhile, Canadian population renegade, Professor T. Murray, is accusing the Libs and the HIA of lack of vision. In a phone call to Candobetter.net, he called them 'pussies.' "Let's not dick around," he said, "The sky is the limit for Tasmania..."

"Tasmania could easily accommodate over 174 billion Breatharians. How so?"

Let’s be generous and assume that the average individual is 6 feet tall, two feet wide and one foot thick (planners, politicians and economists thicker). Each human of these dimensions lying down would take up an area of 12 square feet. The land mass of Tasmania is 26,383 square miles. Therefore, to determine the number of people who could rest horizontally in Tasmania, one must multiply 26,383 by 5280 (the number of feet in a mile) divided by 12 feet. Since air is breathable at 16,000 feet---make it 15,000 feet for good measure---and most people are one foot thick, you could stack 15,000 Breatharians one atop the other in 11, 608,520 12 square foot columns. Grand total, 174,127,800,000 environmentally responsible Tasmanian citizens who draw all the nutrients they need from the air and the light without pushing anything out the other end. Zero consumption, zero waste.

Tasmania, a shiny beacon of greendom

Naturally, it would be unrealistic to expect Australians to transit to this green lifestyle abruptly. All emigrants sent to this new shining beacon of Greendom would first have to be processed in a kind of dietary decompression chamber. Meat eaters would first become vegetarians, then vegetarians would become vegans, then vegans would become exclusive consumers of raw food, and finally nirvana. Raw food eaters would then become Breatharians. At each juncture of the process, transisters could enjoy the sublime pleasure of moral one-upmanship--- one of the prime motivations of being an environmentalist. The ability to turn around and say “my footprint is lighter than yours” would be well worth the sacrifice. After all, environmentalism is not really about achieving actual results, but about feeling good about oneself and expiating sin. Secular Christianity with a green face.

An airy, optimistic footprint

Of course, skeptical voices would no doubt say that living exclusively on air and sunlight is physically impossible. Friends, the Devil is always sowing doubt in our ears. His is the same voice that says that alternative energy sources cannot be found to supply all of our current and growing energy needs, and that substitutions cannot be found for all of the 69 metals, minerals and fuels that Chris Clugston has shown to be in scarce supply and increasingly economically inaccessible. We can continue to live fulfilling and meaningful lives without these material prerequisites, so long as we agree to shed our selfish desires and share our space. Move over, squeeze tighter, and reach for the sky.

All you need to do create this new world, this new Tasmania, is faith and vision. For those of weak resolve, encouragement can be sought from the Green Gospel According to Lovins, John 6:50 and 11:26, “Here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die”, and “who ever lives in me will never die”.

It is not how many Tasmanians there are, but how they live.

Tim